Monaco VS Atletico Madrid Match Prediction
2018-09-18
19:00:00
Monaco
VS
Atletico Madrid
Our Prediction Tip
Atletico Madrid will win this match.
2018-09-1819:00:00 Atletico Madrid will win this match.
This will be the first time Monaco and Atletico Madrid have met in European football. Atletico have twice won at the Stade Louis II stadium, however, triumphing in the Super Cup against Inter in 2010 and Chelsea two years later.
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With neither side in particularly good form this season, this represents an important game for both Monaco and Atletico Madrid.
The visitors have won both the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup since their disappointing Champions League campaign of last season, however, and will be keen to prove a point.
They will also be buoyed by the last-minute equaliser against Eibar last time out – while still a poor result, it may give them a platform to kick on from now.
And that starts in Monaco, where they face a home team who no longer have most of the players who helped them perform so well in the competition two years ago and are also suffering big injury problems.
One of the players to have moved on, of course, is Thomas Lemar – now with Atletico – while injuries to Rony Lopes and Aleksandr Golovin deprive them of more creativity too.
Atletico have a strong defensive unit, and a deadly attack – with Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann both in the goals already this season.
Monaco’s poor start to the season, their injury problems, and the sale of several star players over the last two years, will all add up to a difficult evening for the hosts against that sort of strength.
Atletico may be in poor form themselves, but this is a big chance to bounce back to winning ways and also put last season’s poor campaign firmly behind them.
Atletico Madrid are odds-on favourites to beat Monaco and can be backed at a best price of 4/5 to win with Betfair.
They have plenty of attacking strength, all looking to prove themselves after a below-par start to the league season, and you can get 6/5 from Paddy Power and Betway on there being over 2.5 goals.
An Atletico win and BTTS returns 10/3 with Bet365, Ladbrokes, Betfair and Paddy Power meanwile.
As for those goals, Antoine Griezmann is favourite to net at a best price of 23/17 with 888sport but Diego Costa has also been in the goals this year in the UEFA Super Cup. He is 15/8 to score at any time with Betway.
Both sides go into this game on the back of a poor run of form, but the hosts also have injury worries to contend with and are not the same side who did so well in this competition two years ago.
Monaco have a number of injury worries to contend with, with Aleksandr Golovin, Rony Lopes and Pietro Pellegri all out and Stevan Jovetic and Danijel Subasic both doubtful too. Radamel Falcao was rested at the weekend to ensure he is fit to play up front, however, and Andrea Raggi was back on the bench last time out.
Radamel Falcao – The former Atletico striker has two league goals to his name this season and has been one of the few star players to stick with Monaco in recent seasons.
Youri Tielemans – The Belgian playmaker has scored in each of his last two matches to prove his worth playing just behind Falcao.
Nacer Chadli – Another of Monaco’s Belgian stars, the winger has had to step up in the absence of Rony Lopes and summer signing Aleksandr Golovin following his own move in August.
Monaco have won just one of their six competitive matches this season and are without a win in their last four league games. Since beating Nantes 3-1, on the back of their 4-0 Trophee des Champions defeat to PSG, Monaco have drawn with Lille and Toulouse either side of defeats to Bordeaux and Marseille. Most recently, Youri Tielemans gave them the lead in Toulouse, but they could not hold on as they dropped points once again.
Atletico Madrid have their own injury worries, with Vitolo and Santiago Arias definitely out and Lucas Hernandez and Nikola Kalinic both doubtful. This is where their strength in depth comes to the fore, however, with Felipe Luis likely to start at left-back and Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann the pairing up front. Stefan Savic could return after being suspended at the weekend or Diego Simeone could stick with his Uruguayan centre-back pairing of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez. Thomas Lemar looks likely to play against his former team after switching to Spain in the summer.
Antoine Griezmann – One of the stars of France’s World Cup triumph, Griezmann has since scored the winner against Rayo Vallecano and set up Borja Garces’ late equaliser last time out.
Diego Costa – Two goals in the Super Cup win against Real Madrid followed on from his goals for Spain at the World Cup.
Thomas Lemar – Monaco will know all about the French winger after his big-money switch from the French team in the summer.
Atletico started the season in style, beating Real Madrid in the UEFA Super 4-2 after extra time – Diego Costa scoring twice before Saul and Koke netted in the extra period. In the league, however, they have been unconvicing. A 1-1 draw with Valencia kicked off the new campaign, before Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the game against Rayo Vallecano. Stefan Savic was sent off in a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo, however, and Atletico needed a 94th-minute equaliser from Borja Garces to snatch a point at home to Eibar last time out.
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