Monaco and Nice will face each other in the Ligue 1 after unbeaten starts to the season. After five games in Ligue 1, the home team is in first place, two points ahead of Les Monegasques, while the visitors are in fourth.
Preview (Monaco vs. Nice)
Romain Faivre scored an equalizer in the 98th minute to salvage a point for the hosts. Monaco was held to a 2-2 draw by Lorient last weekend despite having the majority of the possession. As a result, Les Monegasques are one point ahead of Brest in second place. They are three points ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions. It’s also important to note that Monaco has the league’s greatest offensive record by a wide margin. They have scored 15 goals in their first five games of the season. Their closest rivals PSG and Rennes, have combined for 10 goals in the same span.
Admiral Wissam The former Liverpool winger Takumi Minamino has already provided three goals and three assists, making Monaco one of the most feared teams in the division. Ben-Yedder has scored four goals in five games this season. Kylian Mbappe’s two goals put him three goals ahead of Monaco’s Ben-Yedder in the Ligue 1 scoring rankings. Les Aiglons had only 30% of the ball at Parc des Prices, but they still managed to get 14 shots. Of these shots eight of which were on goal. The hosts had three shots on goal for the entire game.
Nice began the season with three straight draws, scoring just two goals against Lille, Lorient, and Lyon. However, Nice is currently on a two-game winning streak after defeating Strasbourg 2-0 before beating PSG last weekend. Nice has the joint-best defensive record in the league despite giving up four goals in five games. Francesco Farioli’s team will be optimistic about containing free-scoring Monaco. They have been prolific goal-scorers this season.
Team News
Breel Embolo, Mohammed Salisu, Edan Diop, and Eliesse Ben Seghir are among Monaco’s injured players. Former Chelsea loanee Denis Zakaria is questionable for Friday’s matchup after suffering a slight thigh injury. Wissam Ben-Yedder, Takumi Minamino, and Aleksandr Golovin remain in attack. Folarin Balogun scored his first goal for Les Monegasques off the bench last weekend. In a 3-4-2-1 configuration, the hosts’ center defense positions will likely be filled by Wilfried Singo, Guillermo Maripan, and Soungoutou Magassa, with Vanderson and Caio Henrique playing the wing-back positions.
Salvatore Sirigu, a long-term injury absentee for Nice, is still out, and Antoine Mendy and Alexis Claude-Maurice are still receiving medical attention. Francesco Farioli would be inclined to start with the same lineup that beat PSG last weekend, which would put the highly-regarded France international Khephren Thuram in a midfield three alongside Youssouf Ndayishimiye and Morgan Sanson. After scoring a brace the last time out, Terem Moffi will continue to lead the line for the visitors, and 39-year-old veteran Dante should pair fellow center-back Jean-Clair Todibo at the other end of the field.
If recent results and patterns are any indication, Friday’s matchup between two strong teams will be high-scoring, with both teams striving to keep their unblemished records. At the Stade Louis II, we anticipate the home team to outscore the visitors given Monaco’s three-goals per-game average in 2023–24, but Nice is poised to give Les Monegasques a run for their money.
Monaco 3 – 2 Nice
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