Arsene Wenger welcomes old club and native counterparts Monaco to the Emirates Stadium this Wednesday evening, as Arsenal’s Champions League assault gets back underway in the Round of 16 stage.
In recent seasons, a second place group finish has guaranteed the Gunners with an imposing last 16 encounter against Champions-elect Barcelona or Bayern Munich. However this season's draw has been kinder to the North Londoners, although boss Wenger will be wary of the threat the principality side will still pose.
The Southern French side are in their second season back in France’s top flight since the club’s Russian takeover, although star attractions such as Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez were off-loaded in the summer to slash an increasing wage bill. Despite big names leaving the Stade Louis II, Monaco have maintained themselves within the European places in Ligue 1 and currently sit fourth, following their second position finish last season.
Last time out Leonardo Jardim’s side faced a tricky away trip to Nice in the French Riviera Derby and, despite being reduced to 10 men after Aymen Abdennour’s dismissal, substitute Bernardo Silva came off the bench to benefit from a defensive lapse in the final few minutes to snatch a 1-0 win.
Monaco’s victory last Friday extended their impressive domestic form, as they have now lost just two games since the start of October in the French league, although more impressively Jardim’s side have only conceded one league goal since the start of December. Having only conceded 19 goals in 25 league games this campaign, the principality are the division's joint best defence, as well as being the meanest backline in the Champions League this season with just one goal against.
After a ten-year break from Champions League action, the French side were drawn alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St Petersburg and Benfica in a tough group to call during the earlier round this campaign. Having won only one of their opening four group fixtures against Leverkusen at home, it was their reverse trip to Germany that sparked two wins in two from their remaining group stage fixtures to finish as Group C winners.
Monaco’s successes thus far this season have been based on a solid backline, as they’ve found goals fairly hard to come by. Their strike rate domestically is just over one goal a game with 26 goals in 25 league fixtures, and despite coming into the tie at the Emirates Stadium as Champions League group winners, the French side struck just four times in the group stages.
Although Portuguese boss Jardim’s forward line have not been the most potent domestically and in Europe, they still boast some impressive and experienced names that could potentially hurt the Gunners on Wednesday evening. Ex-Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov now leads the line for the French outfit and is the club’s top scorer with seven goals in all competitions this season, however he is yet to break his European deadlock.
In behind the Bulgarian and another off the Belgian production line at present is Monaco’s top assister Yannick Carrasco. The winger has nine assists for the season but similar to team mate Berbatov, has none in this year’s Champions League campaign. Alongside Carrasco in Jardim’s attack is Portuguese winger Bernardo Silva, who will be eager to add to his winner against Nice last Friday, although has primarily been used from the bench in Europe. Additionally, Moroccan Nabil Dirar will be vying for a starting berth, as the wideman appeared in all of the French side's Champions League group games.
Three goal playmaker Joao Moutinho, who scored the French club’s winner on Matchday one; in Monaco’s reverse fixture at the Stade Louis II against Leverkusen, is in his second season with the club since his arrival from Porto. The experienced Portuguese international will have to be shackled by the Gunners defensive line, if they harbour genuine hopes of quarter-final qualification. However, opposingly the French side’s realistic aims of playing in the last eight may lie with their defensive midfielder's stifling Arsenal’s creative midfield stars.
Young French starlet Geoffrey Kondogbia and experienced Frenchman Jeremy Toulalan, if available, have been in solid form in all competitions this season in front of the Monaco backline, and the in-form Gunners of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil will need to be at their best to break down an organised defensive unit.
Further forward for the North Londoners, Olivier Giroud alongside Alexis Sanchez will have the tough task of breaching Europe’s meanest defence. Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic has been an ever-present between the sticks in the Champions League for Wednesday’s visitors, with five clean sheets.
Monaco boss Jardim, in front of his Croatia international ‘keeper, has utilised the experience of ex-Chelsea centre-back Ricardo Carvalho and Italian Andrea Raggi in his defence this season, although both will be absent for their side’s trip to North London.
Tunisian Aymen Abdennour, after his dismissal in the principalities last league outing, may well make only his third appearance in this season’s Champions League, although he did get the French club’s opener on Matchday six in their group-winning 2-0 victory at home against Zenit.
Elsewhere in Jardim’s defence are on-loan Brazilian’s Fabinho and Wallace, who both temporarily reside in France from Portuguese clubs. 21-year-old right-back Fabinho is in his second season-long loan from Rio Ave and has been an almost ever-present in all competitions for Monaco this campaign, as the French side utilises the attacking prowess of their full-backs; the left sided being young French international Layvin Kurzawa.
Arsenal would have been thanking their Champions League drawing luck when they avoided the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, however the Gunners faithful will need to avoid complacency against a Monaco team that has the best away record in Ligue 1, and suffered only one narrow away defeat at Benfica in the Champions League group stages.
Wenger, as a former boss of the Southern French outfit and fully aware of the French leagues, will know of the threat his old club possess, and will need to be tactically astute to make sure the Gunners are able to break down their stubborn visitors.