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Monaco vs Aston Villa Match Preview
Out of form domestically and in the Champions League, Monaco are three points off the automatic round of 16 and elimination places as Eddie Hutter’s side look to end a three-match losing streak in Europe against Aston Villa on Tuesday (5.45pm GMT).
After Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Montpellier left them without a win in four matches in 2025, Hutter denied his players were distracted by the prospect of facing the 1981/82 European champions on the final matchday.
“I have a lot of respect for Montpellier, but we needed to impose ourselves to get our confidence back,” said the Austrian, gifting Musa El-Tamari’s equaliser, after his side denied the lead to the bottom side in Ligue 1.
“Tuesday will be a completely different match: it’s the Champions League at home, but I don’t think the team already has Aston Villa in mind.
“We dominated the first half. We were the better team. And after (the equality) and the way we accepted it, I started to see bad body language… We (since then) only managed to be dangerous in the last minutes.
Villa are eighth in the Premier League after a contrasting story on Saturday, trailing 2-0 to title hopefuls Arsenal after 59 minutes. 2-2 draw secured courtesy of two goals inside nine minutes from Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans.
They are within one point of the automatic promotion spots, helped by Ross Barkley’s 85th-minute winner in a 3–2 win at Leipzig on 10 December.
“Arsenal were the better team, but Villa came back and drew,” said Hutter, whose counterpart Unai Emery has won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
“(Emiliano) Martinez is an incredible goalkeeper. (Morgan) Rodgers is a fantastic number 10, with (John) Duran and Watkins as strikers.
“Tielemans is the pacemaker in the middle of the midfield. We have to be very careful with every goal in this league stage. Each goal can be critical.
Monaco vs Villa team news
Fullerin Balogun is a long-term absentee for Monaco following shoulder surgery, while fellow forward George Illenikhena is out with a muscular problem.
Winger Crepin Diatta is not fit, and defender Thilo Kehrer – who scored against Montpellier – will be suspended if he is booked.
“If we drop our intensity, the coach will absolutely kill us,” said striker Brel Embolo. Birmingham Live. “Teams are respecting us more and opponents are defending more tightly. We have to adapt ourselves.
“We are still the same team we were three months ago. We have the same coach and players. This is an opportunity to make things right.”
Midfielders Amado Onana and John McGinn are doubts for Villa, who are without defenders Diego Carlos (suspension) and Pau Torres (ankle) with calf injuries, as well as playmaker Barkley.
Duran, who was Reportedly the subject of a £57 million bid from West Ham on MondayThe forward will be suspended for the visit of Celtic on January 29 (8pm) if booked.
New signature Doniel Malen Cannot register for the Champions League until the knockout stage.
Monaco vs Aston Villa expected line-ups
Monaco: Majeki; Caio Henrique, Kehrer, Singo, Vanderson; Camera, Zacharias; Ben Segir, Golovin, Aklioche; piston
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Bailey, Tillemans, Ramsey; Watkins
guess
At the sharp end of the league stageA victory for both sides could be crucial for their ambitions to automatically progress by finishing as one of the top eight teams in the new 36-team single-table format.
Much depends on whether Monaco can rediscover the form they enjoyed at the start of the campaign, taking 10 points from a possible 12 and beating Barcelona and Kravena Zvezda at home.
Hutter’s side were briefly on top in France as part of an eight-game unbeaten start in Ligue 1, but they have since lost five and drawn two of 10 league matches, as well as European defeats at home to Benfica and Arsenal.
In their first campaign in the modern Champions League, Villa’s only defeat came away, a defeat at Club Brugge, while their defensive record is the fourth-best in the competition this season.
By contrast, only three teams in the top 23 have allowed more than the 10 goals conceded by Monaco, who lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in their only home game since December 7.
The 2003/04 finalists will not want to visit Inter on the final matchday, who are uncomfortably close to the bottom eight elimination positions, and have a useful record against English opposition, winning 11 and drawing six of their 21 meetings.
Villa have won three of their last five matches and drawn twice, 2-2. Expect them to repeat the defensive toughness they have shown in the 1-1 draw in Europe this season.
