Monaco will host a determined Barcelona side, still reeling from a 3-0 defeat to the Monegasques in the Joan Gamper Trophy earlier in August.
That victory might have stung for Barcelona, but it was far from meaningless for Monaco, who have started their domestic season strongly with an unbeaten record in their first three matches before the international break.
This run includes victories over AS Saint-Étienne (1-0) and a crucial away win against Lyon (2-0). However, Monaco was held to a 1-1 draw by Lens just before the international break, and they aimed to return to winning ways against Auxerre on Saturday in their first game back.
Barcelona, on the other hand, reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season but were knocked out by PSG, aided by a red card to Araujo.
Despite this setback, under Xavi’s guidance, they returned to the Champions League top eight after two consecutive group-stage exits. This season, now led by Hansi Flick, Barça has been flawless in La Liga, winning all four of their matches before the break.
Their victories include a 7-0 thrashing of Valladolid, a 2-1 home win against Athletic Bilbao, and hard-fought 2-1 away wins against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia. They recently played Girona in their fifth league match.
Monaco will be missing two key players: Coulibaly and young talent Edan Diop, both sidelined due to injuries for this Champions League clash.
However, the rest of the squad is available, including the promising Balogun (7 goals and 5 assists in Ligue 1 last season), international prospect Magassa, rising star Ben Seghir (19 years old), Minamino (9 goals and 6 assists last season), and Swiss international Breel Embolo.
For Barcelona, several key players remain out of action, including Frenkie de Jong, Gavi (recovering), Araujo, Bernal (out for a year with a ruptured cruciate ligament), Christensen (out until October), and Fermin Lopez (muscle injury).
There are also doubts surrounding Yamal (1 goal and 4 assists in La Liga) and Dani Olmo (2 goals in 2 matches), while Ansu Fati, who returned from his loan at Brighton, has rejoined training but is still uncertain to play.
Despite these absences, Hansi Flick can count on Robert Lewandowski, who is back in goal-scoring form with 4 goals in La Liga, and Brazilian international Raphinha, who is returning to his Leeds United-level performance with 3 goals and 2 assists in La Liga.
Prediction
Given recent trends in Monaco’s home matches, it would be surprising to see more than three goals in this contest, as 16 of their last 19 home games have ended with under 3.5 goals.
Similarly, 14 of Barcelona’s last 16 Champions League matches have also seen fewer than 3.5 goals, suggesting a close contest is on the cards.
Prediction: Monaco 1 : 1 Barcelona
