Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Montpellier
Match Time & Date:
17/01/2025
19:00
Prediction: 1-2
Monaco
Friday’s football game between Montpellier and Monaco will open round 18 of the new Ligue 1 campaign. La Paillade were beaten by Angers in the relegation six-pointer at the weekend and, as a result, they are seen as big underdogs in the clash against Monaco. As both Kiki Kouyate and Jordan Ferri are banned for the match, home win should not be considered this time out.
Les Rouges et Blancs, on the other hand, dropped two points in a 2-2 draw with Nantes. Given Montpellier’s defensive struggles, we do not believe that Monaco will have a better chance than this to return to winning ways in the French top flight. Breel Embolo should keep his place up front after scoring the equalizer against les Canaris, while Japan international Takumi Minamino is a major doubt. Fellow forward Krepin Diatta has yet to overcome his injury.
Highlighted Player (Breel Embolo):
Born in Younde, Cameroon on February 14, 1997, Breel Embolo is a striker who plays for Bundesliga side Schalke 04. Embolo began his youth career at Nordstern back in 2008, but two years later he moved to Old Boys.
In 2010 the Switzerland international joined Basel and he continued playing for the RotBlau at senior level. After scoring 21 goals in 61 appearances for the club in the Swiss Super League, Breel Embolo signed a five-year deal with Schalke 04 in June, 2016 for a fee of €20 million.
The Schalke striker made his Bundesliga debut on August 27 in a 1-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. Speaking of his international career, Breel Embolo has four caps for Switzerland U21 team and he made his senior debut on March 31, 2015 in a 1-1 draw with United States of America. Embolo is very powerful striker, he is technically strong, he has explosive pace and a composed finisher.
Highlighted Team (Montpellier):
Over the years Montpellier have established themselves as a mid-table side in French Ligue 1. Montpellier are considered one of the youngest clubs in France as they were founded in 1974, but it has to be noted that a number of high-profile footballers played for the club in the past. French football legend Laurent Blanc played for Montpellier from 1981-1993 and he scored 76 goals in 24 appearances in the league for the club. Eric Cantona, Roger Milla, Carlos Valderama and Olivier Giroud played in Montpellier’s colors as well, but Pascal Baills is the player with most appearances for the club (429).
La Paillade did remarkably well to win the Ligue 1 trophy in 2012 and that is considered the club’s biggest success. Montpellier won Coupe de France on two occasions (1929, 1990), with the team beating FC Sete and FC Paris respectively in the title games. The team welcome their rivals at Stade de la Mosson and the capacity of the stadium is 32.900. In 1999 Montpellier won the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
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