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Key events
Unai Emery speaks: “I think we are very motivated playing in the Champions League because the club didn’t play in it for a long time,” said Villa’s head coach. “Europe is always something special as well and I am always transmitting that to the players, trying to feel it with everybody this year and last year. We want to compete, to compete trying to be a protagonist in this competition. We have a very huge opportunity arriving here to play day seven with 13 points.
“I think we need three or four more points to get the top eight. Our target is to be in the top eight and tomorrow is the key. Firstly because Monaco has an opportunity if they are beating us to get 16 points and maybe they could be in the top eight as well.
“Our opportunity and our objective is not to get 16 – we will try to get 19 points because with that we will be there for sure. How we are playing this competition is the most important thing, trying to enjoy each moment; trying to focus on each match; trying to show our capacity and how we can face the best teams in the world.”
Aston Villa: The club have angrily rejected a second bid from West Ham for Jhon Durán out of hand, with Villa adamant the striker, who they value at about £100m, is not for sale. Duran signed a new contract until 2030 in October last year. Ben Fisher reports from Monaco …
Tonight’s match officials
Those teams: As expected, Amadou Onana sits this one out for Villa through injury, with Youri Tielemans expected to slot into his midfield berth. Lucas Digne comes in at left-back for Ian Maatsen, while Leon Bailey is also in the side with Jacob Ramsey making way.
Monaco duo Wilfried Zingo and Denis Zakaria both start despite pre-match doubts about their fitness, while Folarin Balogun misses out with a shoulder injury. Former Liverpool and Southampton midfielder Takumi Minamino also starts for Monaco.
Monaco v Aston Villa line-ups
Monaco: Majecki; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Mawissa, Zakaria, Camara, Akliouche, Minamino, Seghir; Embolo
Subs: Kohn, Lienard, Teze, Golovin, Henrique, Ouattara, Salisu, Diatta, Diop, Michal, Bouabre, Magassa
Aston Villa: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Buendia; Bailey, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Olsen, Duran, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogarde, Ramsey, Swinkels, Young
Monaco form guide: Fourth in Ligue1, 15 points behind leaders PSG, Monaco are managed by the Austrian Adi Hutter and come into this game having won just two of their last 11 games in all competitions. The most recent of those victories came in the French Cup against Union Saint-Jean, a French regional side. More recently, on Friday to be exact, Hutter’s side were beaten by Montpelier, who are currently rock-bottom of the French top flight.
Their results in this season’s Champions League have been largely decent but mixed, with Hutter masterminding victories over Barcelona, Red Star and Bologna, while watching his team lose their two most recent games against Benfica and Arsenal. In the second game of their campaign, away at Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco secured their only draw so far. Of the four Ligue1 teams in the Champions League, Monaco (16th) are behind Brest (7th) and Lille (8th) but ahead of PSG (25th).
Early team news
Villa midfielder John McGinn is back in training after recovering from a thigh injury but is unlikely to feature in this match. Amadou Onana, who pulled up with a hamstring injury during Villa’s draw at Arsenal on Saturday is also likely to miss out. Ross Barkley and Pau Torres are also sidelined, while Diego Carlos is suspended. New signing Donyell Malen is cup-tied until the knockout stages, having already played five group games in this season’s competition for Borussia Dortmund.
While Lamare Bogarde impressed after replacing Onana against Arsenal, he may have to settle for a place on the bench again if Emery decides to play Youri Tielemans in a more withdrawn role and bring Leon Bailey into the side.
Monaco have injury concerns of their own, with Nigerian striker George Ilenikhena and former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun both due to miss out through injury. Senegalese winger Krepin Diatta is also out, while the participation of defenders Wilfried Singo and Denis Zakaria is also in doubt.
Champions League: Monaco v Aston Villa
The Stade Louis II is the venue for this encounter between Monaco and Aston Villa in the penultimate round of group games of this season’s all-singing, all-dancing new Champions League format.
It’s the first ever competitive match between these two sides and a win for Villa, currently in fifth place in the 36-team table, would go a long way towards booking their place among the eight teams who qualify automatically for the last 16.
Defeat for Unai Emery’s side would move Monaco, currently in 16th place, level on points with Villa and greatly enhance their chances of booking a spot in the top eight with just one more group match away at Inter to go. A draw could be good enough for Monaco to guarantee their place in the knockout stages, if not the Round of 16. There’s plenty at stake on the French Riviera this evening, where kick-off is at 5.45pm (GMT).
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