AS Monaco vs Borussia Dortmund 12/12/18

12 December 2018

AS Monaco welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Stade Louis II looking to post their first Champions League win this campaign and greet the most prominent club competition with dignity.

A poor haul of one point from their opening five Champions League matches has seen the hosts rooted to the bottom of Group A without any chance of reaching Europa League. Having suffered four defeats already, the Monégasques are the only team in this group that has failed to register all three points. Already conceded 12 goals, the Red and Whites are yet to keep a clean sheet in Europe, which puts them on a par with PSV Eindhoven. Furthermore, the former Ligue 1 champions have conceded a minimum of two goals four times so far, which makes them one of the worst defensive sides in Europe’s top competition. Meanwhile, Falcao and his fellow teammates have struggled to hit the back of the net three times in five CL outings, including in the last two encounters with Atletico Madrid and Club Brugge.

On the other hand, visitors have to wrap up all three points and pray Atletico Madrid won’t beat Club Brugge on the road in order to overtake the Spanish giants on the top of the group. After securing three consecutive victories in their opening three Champions League clashes, the Black and Yellows have failed to clinch a triumph in their last two outings. After losing 2-0 to Los Colchoneros in Madrid, BVB struggled to score a goal against Club Brugge at home last time out, as they now hope to end a scoreless run. In the meantime, Lucien Favre’s players have kept a clean sheet four times in their five CL games, which is the best defensive record in the most prestigious European competition this term.

Provisional line-up – AS Monaco:

Gk: Benaglio Defense: Glik – Raggi – Henrichs – Badiashile Midfield: Tielemans – Sofiane Diop – Ait Bennasser – Chadli – Golovin Attack: Falcao

Provisional line-up – Borussia Dortmund:

Gk: Burki Defense: Akanji – Diallo – Hakimi – Schmelzer Midfield: Dahoud – Weigl – Guerreiro Attack: Gotze – Max Phillip – Pulisic