Forever linked by the legendary Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry, Arsenal and Monaco scrap for Champions League supremacy in Wednesday's league phase contest at the Emirates Stadium.
Only one spot separates the two titans in the 36-team UCL table, as they each cling on to one of the final two automatic qualification places for the last-16 stage after five matches.
Match preview
© Imago
Six goals between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade was not beyond the realm of possibility before kickoff on Champions League matchday five, although few would have expected five of those efforts to go to the men in red and white.
However, with the Ruben Amorim glue no longer holding the Green and Whites together, the Primeira Liga powerhouses were slaughtered by Mikel Arteta's troops last time out in Europe, as the Gunners propelled themselves into the coveted top eight spots with a 5-1 pummelling of Sporting.
Also besting both Shakhtar Donetsk and Paris Saint-Germain in UCL home affairs season, only Barcelona and Bayern Munich - seven each - have won more top-level European matches on their own soil than Arsenal's six since the start of the 2023-24 season, and they have scored in each of their last 11 Champions League home contests.
Formerly struggling for shut-outs at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have now managed four clean sheets in their last six matches in front of the North London crowd, and they are yet to suffer a home loss in any tournament this term, winning seven of their last eight at their headquarters.
The Gunners' prolific powers on the road failed them at the weekend, though, as they were denied a late winner in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Fulham and could now slip nine points behind runaway leaders Liverpool if the Reds win their game in hand.
© Imago
Sharing Arsenal's 10-point total from five Champions League outings so far this season, only a marginally inferior goal difference is keeping Monaco below the Gunners as Adi Hutter's men seek to right some wrongs from their most recent continental showdown.
While their upcoming hosts annihilated Portuguese opposition on matchday five, Les Monegasques were on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline when Benfica came to visit the Stade Louis II, letting 1-0 and 2-1 leads slip as Burnley loanee Zeki Amdouni completed an exceptional Eagles fightback.
Monaco's late collapse on November 27 can be attributed to a red card for defender Wilfried Singo early in the second half, but the Ivorian redeemed himself at the weekend, netting the opening goal against Toulouse before Breel Embolo put the seal on a 2-0 victory.
Five points below leaders Paris Saint-Germain and level on points with second-placed Marseille in the Ligue 1 table, Les Monegasques have proven their credentials as genuine challengers for PSG's crown, and they are now bidding to win Champions League away matches for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.
The last time the visitors won back-to-back UCL games on the road, their second success coincidentally came against none other than Arsenal, whom they conquered 3-1 at the Emirates in February 2015 before a 2-0 home loss in the second leg of that last-16 tie, which still sent Wenger's team out on away goals.
Team News
© Imago
Arsenal's showdown with Fulham saw Arteta put out his ninth different defence of the Premier League season, a decision he had no choice but to make due to a late injury to Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is also uncertain for the visit of Monaco.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori are in the exact same boat, while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu will definitely sit this one out due to knee injuries, and Arteta's defensive dilemma could see him bite the bullet and bring one player back in from the cold.
Indeed, Kieran Tierney was selected for Arsenal's Champions League squad and must surely come into the thinking for a place in the starting lineup on Wednesday, although Myles Lewis-Skelly is another option at the back.
Arsenal's crisis has seemingly worsened ahead of the visit of Hutter's team, as neither Jurrien Timber nor Thomas Partey trained on Tuesday, so either Josh Robinson or Josh Nichols could be promoted from the Under-21s to start at right-back.
Monaco will also be working around a diminished defence for Wednesday's game, albeit for different reasons, as Singo serves a ban following his red card and Christian Mawissa is also suspended for a totting-up of bookings.
Hutter will therefore have no choice but to introduce Mohammed Salisu alongside Thilo Kehrer in the centre of the backline, while further up the field, Folarin Balogun will be denied a reunion against his former side due to a shoulder injury.
The Monaco ranks are further ravaged by the absences of Denis Zakaria (unspecified), Krepin Diatta (muscle) and Edan Diop (foot), but the visitors have a 19-year-old gem in their ranks by the name of Eliesse Ben Seghir, who could become just the second teenager to score in back-to-back Champions League games for Les Monegasques after Kylian Mbappe.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Robinson, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki; Vanderson, Salisu, Kehrer, Henrique; Matazo, Camara; Akliouche, Ben Seghir, Golovin; Embolo
We say: Arsenal 2-0 Monaco
While Premier League teams know what to expect from Arsenal's open-play sequences and can effectively double up on the likes of Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, European teams do not always do the same, so the Gunners should expect some more joy on the flanks in particular.
As the hosts remain as potent as ever from dead-ball situations too, they have our vote to strengthen their bid for a last-16 place against a Monaco side ruing defensive suspensions.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
