Monaco have made an impressive start to the season in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
They are yet to taste defeat this season and are maintaining their upward trajectory under Adi Hutter.
Hutter took charge of the team last summer on the back of a turbulent few years for Les Rouge et Blanc. The Austrian was able to steer the club to a 2nd place finish in Ligue 1 last season, eight points behind PSG. Can they keep progressing and win trophies this season?
Odds courtesy of Betway. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Hutter’s Solid Defence Could be Key
Monaco could only manage a 0-0 draw with Lille in their last Ligue 1 outing, which meant PSG were able to leapfrog them in the table. However, Adi Hutter’s side have amassed 20 points from their eight league matches, equal to that of the Parisians.
Les Rouge et Blanc boast the best defensive record in the top tier of French football, having conceded just four goals in their eight games. The underlying numbers indicate this is not a coincidence. Monaco have the lowest xGA in the division, with an average of 0.72 per game. In comparison, PSG have an xGA of 0.92 per game. Six teams conceded fewer goals than Hutter’s side in Ligue 1 last season, so there has been a significant improvement defensively.
The Monegasques’ attacking output is impressive as they have the second-highest xG in Ligue 1 heading into the next round of fixtures, with a total of 16.66. Monaco have underperformed this metric by scoring 14 goals, so there is room for them to be more clinical in the final third.
PSG have been crowned champions of France 10 times in the last 12 years. Les Parisiens have a wealth of talent at their disposal, but Monaco managed to wrestle the title from their grasp in that period. Les Rouge et Blanc won the title back in 2017 when they had Kylian Mbappe in their ranks. Mbappe departed PSG in the summer, and his exit gives Monaco hope of surpassing their rivals.
Monaco Can Upset the European Heavyweights
Hutter’s team have also made a fantastic start in Europe. They didn’t compete in any of UEFA’s competitions last season, but have been slugging it out with the big boys right from the start this term. They started their European campaign off in style by beating Barcelona 2-1. Hutter’s side finished that game with a score that was 0.91 higher than their opponents after playing against 10 men for most of the game.
Monaco followed up that win with a 2-2 draw away in Zagreb, where they were unfortunate not to come away with all three points. The Monagasques finished the game with 63% possession and an xG 1.08 higher than their opponents. Monaco hammered Red Star Belgrade 5-1 in their latest Champions League fixture to return to winning ways. Hutter’s team were rampant in that fixture, racking up a total of 27 attempts and finishing the game with an xG of 3.33.
It is estimated that 15 points will be enough to secure a place in the top eight in the Champions League’s new format, meaning Monaco need to secure three more wins. Ahead of the draw, Monaco were handed the fifth-best set of fixtures according to the UEFA coefficient rating of their opponents. They have some difficult fixtures remaining, but three wins are definitely within their reach.
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Source link : https://www.goal.com/en-za/betting/bet-monaco-champions-league-ligue-1/blt96e196a2e5ba5bde
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Publish date : 2024-10-23 16:10:00
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