The action in Ligue 1 gets under way on Friday night as Monaco welcome Montpellier to the Stade Louis II. This is a match between two teams who will be hoping to push for 3rd place in the league this season.
As things stand in the table ahead of this game, Monaco are in 7th place on 35 points while Montpellier are in 5th place with 37 points. A win for either team could close the gap on Rennes who are in 3rd place.
Monaco come into the match having defeated Amiens 2-1 away from home last weekend. That result means Monaco have won each of their last 2 games with the other victory coming against Angers at home. The match finished 1-0.
Prior to the victory over Angers, Monaco went on a poor run of 3 straight defeats in all competitions, Including home defeats at the hands of Strasbourg in Ligue 1 and Saint Etienne in the Coupe de France. However, trends show Monaco have won 7 of their last 9 home Ligue 1 matches.
Some of their best results at home include 3-1 over Nice, 3-2 against Rennes and an excellent 5-1 victory over Lille. There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 10 of Monaco's last 12 home league games and Monaco have scored at least once in each of their last 11 home matches in Ligue 1.
Montpellier picked up a good 1-0 win over Saint Etienne at home last weekend in Ligue 1. It was an important victory as the club had suffered 3 straight defeats prior to that win. One of the most disappointing losses came at Belfort in the Coupe de France as Montpellier lost on penalties to the National 2 club having been held to a 0-0 draw. What followed was an equally poor performance as they lost heavily 5-0 at Paris Saint-Germain.
Following the defeat in the capital city, Montpellier were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Metz. However, trends show that Montpellier have tasted just one defeat in their last 6 Ligue 1 matches. They have seen over 2.5 goals scored in 8 of their last 10 Ligue 1 games but have conceded 2 or more goals in 4 of their last 6 away Ligue 1 matches.
Looking ahead to the team news and Monaco will be without central midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko who is suspended for this game. Pietro Pellegri and Seydou Sy are doubts while Willem Geubbels is back in training following a hamstring injury.
Montpellier have forward Andy Delort and goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli suspended, both of which are a big blow. Nicolas Cozza is definitely out with a knee injury plus Ambroise Oyongo, Kylian Kaiboue and Pedro Mendes are doubtful.
This has the makings of being a close game and if Montpellier did not have their first choice goalkeeper and forward suspended, they could have taken something from the match. However, without these players it gives Monaco of the opportunity to win the game and move above them in a match which could see both teams score.
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