Arsenal can take another big step towards Champions League qualification as they host Monaco tonight.
The Gunners bounced back formidably from a disappointing narrow defeat by Inter Milan in their last European outing last month, continuing their recent resurgence with a ruthless 5-1 destruction of Sporting Lisbon - one of the continent’s most in-form teams - in their own backyard.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ARSENAL VS MONACO LIVE!
That impressive thumping sent Mikel Arteta’s side up to seventh in the standings with three games left to play in the new ‘league phase’, with the top-eight finishers guaranteed passage straight through to the last 16 without the need for a nervy two-legged play-off tie in the New Year. The Gunners are now 10th after Tuesday’s round of matches.
Opponents Monaco are level on points with Arsenal and behind them only by virtue of a slightly inferior goal difference, despite having lost a thriller with 10 men at home to Benfica last time out.
Adi Hutter’s team currently sit third in Ligue 1 and five points adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain, having made it four successive league wins against Toulouse at the weekend.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Arsenal vs Monaco is scheduled for an 8pm GMT kick-off tonight, Wednesday December 11, 2024.
The match will take place at the Emirates Stadium in north London.
Where to watch Arsenal vs Monaco
TV channel: In the UK, Arsenal vs Monaco will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the match live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Live blog: Follow the action with Standard Sport’s live blog, featuring expert analysis from Arsenal correspondent Simon Collings at the Emirates.
Arsenal vs Monaco team news
The Gunners will hope for positive news on the respective recoveries of key defenders Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori, both of whom have missed the last two matches through injury.
Oleksandr Zinchenko also sat out Sunday’s frustrating 1-1 draw at Fulham in the Premier League with a knock and his status for the visit of Monaco remains unclear.
Fellow defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu both remain sidelined for Arsenal with knee problems.
Monaco are dealing with plenty of absentees at present despite their strong run of domestic form, with former Gunners striker Folarin Balogun set to miss out on a return to his former club due to a shoulder injury.
Mamadou Coulibaly and Edan Diop are also sidelined, while ex-Chelsea midfielder Denis Zakaria, Soungoutou Magassa and Krepin Diatta are all doubtful.
Monaco also have issues to resolve in defence, with Christian Mawissa and Wilfried Songo both suspended.
Arsenal vs Monaco prediction
Arsenal will be very eager to bounce back from Sunday’s frustration at Craven Cottage, where their recent resurgence was successfully stifled by well-drilled Fulham and the euphoria of Bukayo Saka’s would-be late winner proving painfully short-lived due to VAR rightly ruling Gabriel Martinelli offside.
Their thrashing of Sporting in November - much like that memorable triumph over PSG earlier in the season - was a real statement in the Champions League and they will hope to make another here, though this is arguably their hardest remaining game of the league phase on paper with only Dinamo Zagreb and Girona left on the schedule.
Monaco are in an almost identical position to Arsenal in terms of their qualification hopes and won’t fear a trip to north London, having been in superb form in Ligue 1 over recent weeks.
This has the feel of a home win, but one that might not be too generous on drama and perhaps harder to come by than most home fans expect, not too dissimilar to their last European victory at the Emirates over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arsenal to win, 1-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two clubs have only met twice before in competitive action, having gone head to head in the last 16 of the Champions League back in 2015.
Monaco ended up advancing from that tie on away goals, having won 3-1 at the Emirates before losing 2-0 in the Principality. Arsenal beat Monaco on penalties in pre-season in the summer of 2023.
Arsenal wins: 1
Monaco wins: 1
Draws: 0
Arsenal vs Monaco match odds
Arsenal to win: 3/10
Monaco to win: 19/2
Draw: 9/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
