Monaco will be confident of booking their spot in the playoff stage of the Champions League on Tuesday as they welcome Swiss side Young Boys for the second leg of their third qualifying round clash.
Monaco were 3-1 winners in Switzerland last week, with all four goals coming in the final 30 minutes. As a result, the French outfit are the firm favourites to move to within one round of the group stages once again.
Monaco
© Getty Images
Not too many expected Monaco to make an impression in last season's Champions League, but the Ligue 1 outfit topped a group that included Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St Petersburg and Benfica - advancing into the knockout phase of the competition having lost just once in the group.
They also boasted the best defensive record at that stage of the competition, but Arsenal would have entered their knockout round two-legged affair as the favourites to advance. The Gunners were beaten 3-1 at home in the first leg, however, and despite winning 2-0 in the return match, it was Monaco that continued their journey into the quarter-finals.
The Ligue 1 outfit's journey came to an end against Juventus, but losing 1-0 on aggregate to the eventual finalists was no disgrace. Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon secured automatic group-stage qualification last season after finishing first and second respectively in the league, but Monaco managed to grab third position ahead of Marseille and potentially set up another Champions League journey.
There was not too much between Monaco and Young Boys in the first leg last week, but three goals within the space of three second-half minutes somewhat distorted the scoreline. Monaco were 2-0 ahead after 72 minutes, but the hosts cut the deficit to one goal two minutes later. Perhaps the decisive moment came in the 75th minute, however, when Mario Pasalic netted to make it 3-1 Monaco and hand the French club a strong lead ahead of the return match.
Monaco are building towards the start of their Ligue 1 campaign, which begins away to Nice on August 8. They have had plenty of football since the end of last season, however, playing seven friendlies and eight games in total.
Recent form: WLLDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWW
Young Boys
© Getty Images
While the majority of European leagues will get underway over the next couple of weeks, Young Boys are already three games into their new season. The Swiss outfit began their Super League campaign on July 18, but it has been an underwhelming start for last season's runners-up.
In fact, all three of their league matches thus far have finished 1-1, which has left Uli Forte's team down in sixth position on three points.
It would be fair to say that it has been a disappointing few seasons of European action for the Swiss outfit. The last time that they had the chance to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League was back in 2010, when they advanced to the fourth qualifying round before losing to Tottenham Hotspur. Since then, they have flirted with the Europa League.
Last season, Young Boys did make it through the group stages of the Europa League, but they were beaten by Everton in the round of 32. Success in Europe's second competition is obviously a big carrot, but they have never competed in the group stages of the Champions League, which will be seen as a disappointment for a club that have won 11 Swiss league titles.
Forte will also surely be concerned about his side's away form entering this match. They have only won one of their last eight away games in all competitions and just two of their last 13. Monaco, on the other hand, are strong at home and with three goals in the bank, it is difficult to predict enough of a swing that would see Young Boys advance to the playoff stage of the competition.
Recent form: DWWLL
Recent form (all competitions): WDDLD
Team News
© Getty Images
Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim is not expected to make too many changes from the first leg, while the Portuguese has no reported injuries.
One player that could come into the starting XI is summer signing Stephan El Shaarawy, who appeared off the bench in the first leg. However, the likes of Joao Moutinho and Jeremy Toulalan are expected to keep their places in the team.
Like Monaco, Young Boys do not have any fresh injury concerns ahead of the match.
The Swiss outfit are once again expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Miralem Sulejmani and Raphael Nuzzolo operating wide of the lone striker Guillaume Hoarau.
However, Ghana attacker Samuel Afum is also a forward option for the visitors.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Subasic; Fabinho, Raggi, Carvalho, Kurzawa; El Shaarawy, Moutinho, Toulalan, Pasalic, Cavaleiro; Martial
Young Boys possible starting lineup:
Mvogo; Benito, Von Bergen, Vilotic, Sutter; Sanogo, Gajic, Kubo; Nuzzolo, Hoarau, Sulejmani
Head To Head
Last week's meeting in Switzerland was the first time that these two sides have met in any format.
We say: Monaco 2-0 Young Boys
Monaco, as they demonstrated in last season's Champions League, can be a bit of a mixed bag. They are capable of some brilliant performances, but can also be guilty of losing focus when it is needed most.
That said, their strong victory in the first leg has put them in a commanding position and we think that they will finish the job in fairly routine fashion.
Matt Law
