AS Monaco are looking to make it four wins on the bounce as they travel to face Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
The Principality club under Philippe Clement have hit top form in 2023 with the only slip in their unbeaten start to 2023 being a penalty shootout defeat to Rodez in the Coupe de France.
Monaco come into Thursday’s fixture off a brilliant win against Ligue 1 leaders, PSG at the weekend to help them close the gap to the leaders to seven points.
Bayer Leverkusen also come into the fixture off the back of a win as the Werkself defeated an out of form TSG Hoffenheim 3-1 at the PreZero Arena.
Alonso’s side finished 2022 in fine form with three wins and started the new year in the same vein with wins over Borussia Mönchengladbach and VfL Bochum, but defeats against Borussia Dortmund and Augsburg followed.
This European distraction and test may be a way for Alonso’s side getting back to their best.
The German side have never lost to French opposition at the BayArena, something they will want to continue on Thursday night.
These teams have met six times, all in the Champions League with Monaco having the better record with three wins compared to Bayer’s one.
Team News
The Werkself will still be without veteran Chilean, Charles Aranguiz as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
Star striker, Patrick Schick is still a doubt with a groin injury which is expected to keep him out of this European fixture.
Alonso won’t be phased by these absences as he has dealt with them pretty well so far during his tenure with seven wins from 12 Bundesliga matches.
AS Monaco
Chelsea loanee, Malang Sarr will miss this week’s play-off match with a hip injury.
Young Brazilian, Vanderson has been impressing at right-back this season for the Principality club but is set to miss out on Thursday night’s match through injury.
Like Alonso, Clement excelled at the weekend against PSG without either Sarr or Vanderson so won’t be too worried with his squad going into the clash.
Likely Lineups
Bayer Leverkusen
Hradecky, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie, Frimpong, Andrich, Palacios, Bakker, Wirtz, Diaby, Hlozek
AS Monaco
Nubel, Aguilar, Disasi, Maripan, Henrique, Fofana, Camara, Golovin, Diatta, Embolo, Ben Yedder
Key Players
Bayer Leverkusen: Moussa Diaby
If Bayer Leverkusen are to progress to the Round of 16 stage they will need their star winger Moussa Diaby to be in top form.
The Frenchman has attracted interest from around Europe this season with his performances.
The 23-year-old has scored seven goals and provided three assists in the Bundesliga as well as scoring two crucial goals in the Champions League to make sure they qualified for the Europa League.
The winger will test Ruben Aguilar who hasn’t been a guaranteed starter for Monaco so far this season with his top speed being clocked at 36.1km/h in the Champions League.
AS Monaco: Aleksandr Golovin
The Russian who broke through after his home World Cup in 2018 has struggled to consistently show the talent he has since the tournament.
But this season Aleksandr Golovin has been key to Clement’s side success with five goals and six assists to his name in Ligue 1.
The now 26-year-old likes to pick up the ball in the half spaces between the defence and midfield and with a 74% passing accuracy in the Europa League this season he will be key to unlocking Bayer Leverkusen’s three man defence.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match will be played at the home of the Werkself, the BayArena.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off for this first leg is scheduled to be at 20:00 GMT.
How can I watch?
The match will be available to watch for UK viewers on BT Sport while US viewers can watch the game on Paramount+.