The first Ligue 1 fixture to be played on Sunday will feature a Monaco side seeking their first domestic triumph of 2024 when they host Le Havre at Stade Louis II.
Despite spending the majority of their match versus Marseille down a man, Les Monegasques were able to hang onto a 2-2 draw, maintaining their fourth-place standing, while Le Club Doyen are 11th following a dramatic 3-3 come-from-behind draw against Lorient.
Match preview
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Facing what is often a hostile crowd at Stade Velodrome while also incurring a pair of red cards in either half, the odds were stacked against Monaco last Saturday.
To their credit, though, the Principality club had the lead on two occasions but ultimately could not close it out, failing to win for only the second time domestically this season when leading at the interval.
Their current two-match winless run in this competition equals the longest stretch without a triumph for this side under Adi Hutter, as they are now just two points above Lille for a Champions League qualifying spot next season and a single point behind Brest for a place in the group stage of that tournament.
Monaco have lost their last two home games in Ligue 1 by a combined score of 4-1 but have not suffered three successive league defeats at Stade Louis II since 2018-19 (three), during the brief managerial tenure of Thierry Henry.
They remain among the highest-scoring sides in the French top flight, netting the second-most goals (36) behind Paris Saint-Germain (46), though they have maintained five domestic clean sheets, more than any side currently in a top-five position in any of the big-five European leagues.
That being said, Les Monegasques have conceded at least once in seven consecutive matches in all competitions, including multiple strikes in every domestic encounter this year.
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To this stage of 2024, we have seen a much sharper Le Havre side, who are unbeaten in four competitive matches played this year.
Les Ciel et Marine are unbeaten in their last two away matches in all competitions, losing only three of their 10 road games in the league this season.
They have only triumphed in one of their away contests in the French top flight, though, scoring twice in the final seven minutes plus stoppage time to defeat Toulouse 2-1.
Luka Elsner's men have come to life in the attacking third in recent games, netting three goals in three of their previous four domestic contests.
Only one of their points away from home in this domestic campaign came against a team currently above them in the table, playing to a 2-2 draw with Rennes on matchday three.
Le Havre have not lost a Ligue 1 contest versus Les Monegasques since 2008-09 (3-2), though they have only faced them three times in the top flight in between that campaign and this one.
Team News
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Monaco will be without Guillermo Maripan and Denis Zakaria for this encounter because of suspensions, Folarin Balogun has a shoulder strain, Eliot Matazo is dealing with a muscle issue, while Breel Embolo and Caio Henrique are out with cruciate ligament tears.
Takumi Minamino is on international duty with Japan, who are through to the Asian Cup quarter-finals, Mohamed Camara is with Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations and Wilfried Singo is with the Ivory Coast, with both players set to face each other in the last eight of that competition this weekend.
Wissam Ben Yedder has a goal in five successive matches in all competitions, netting his 10th of the domestic campaign against Marseille, the second-most goals in Ligue 1 behind Kylian Mbappe (19), while Maghnes Akliouche notched his fourth of the competition in that encounter.
Yoann Salmier is expected to be out until the middle of February for Le Havre because of a back injury, while Abdoulaye Toure and Mohamed Bayo are still on international duty for Guinea as they battle the Congo in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Just one change was made to the Le Havre starting 11 from matchday 18 to 19 in Ligue 1, with Antoine Joujou coming in for Oussama Targhalline.
Emmanuel Sabbi moved into a tie for the team lead in goals over this campaign alongside Bayo and Nabil Alioui, netting his fourth of the domestic season last weekend, while Andre Ayew notched a brace in the latter stages, enabling his side to collect a point.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Kohn; Kehrer, Matsima, Salisu; Vanderson, Fofana, Ben Seghir, Ouattara; Akliouche, Golovin; Ben Yedder
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Sangante, Kinkoue, Lloris, Operi; Ayew, Ndiaye, Kuzyayev, Joujou; Sabbi, Alioui
We say: Monaco 2-1 Le Havre
Despite so many players unavailable for Les Monegasques, we still believe this team have enough quality to overcome that on Sunday, and they will take a lot of encouragement from their draw with Marseille, which surely felt like a win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
