Havana, February 17 (RHC) – Reigning champion Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and struggling Monaco will seek to advance today in the Champions League play-off, a duel between Ligue 1 clubs from which one will emerge with a ticket to the round of 16.
For the first leg at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, with the return leg scheduled for next Wednesday at the Parc des Princes, the Parisian favorites, coached by Luis Enrique, will only be missing three players, while Sébastien Pocognoli’s side will be plagued by injuries and doubtful squads.
The Parisians remain cautious with the return to action of star midfielder Fabián Ruiz and promising youngster Senny Mayulu, while their 18-year-old prodigy Quentin Ndjantou will miss several weeks due to knee surgery. There are also some doubts surrounding the availability of star striker Ousmane Demélé in tonight’s starting lineup due to discomfort.
On Monaco’s side, in addition to the long-standing absences of Mohammed Salisu and Takumi Minamino and the lack of fitness of the excluded Paul Pogba, there are also the absences or uncertainty surrounding players such as goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, defenders Kassoum Ouattara and Eric Dier, and midfielder Pape Cabral.
With the new Champions League format, PSG will face a French league opponent again in the qualifying rounds, having previously faced and eliminated Brest last season on their way to winning the Champions League trophy for the first time in the club’s more than 50-year history.
Luis Enrique has expressed a preference for playing two more matches after PSG’s early exit from the French Cup.
However, fans are concerned about some lackluster performances in away matches since December, including the 1-3 defeat on Friday in Rennes in Ligue 1, the elimination from the Coupe de France at the hands of Paris FC on January 12, and the three winless matches at the end of the Champions League qualifying rounds, which resulted in their drop out of the top eight.
Meanwhile, Monaco is going through a rough patch, currently occupying a disappointing eighth place in Ligue 1 and also being eliminated from the Coupe de France.
All the odds in this match favor PSG and their star-studded squad, featuring players of the caliber of Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, João Neves, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes.
In Monaco’s favor is the fact that in their last encounter with the Red and Blues they beat them 1-0 on November 29th at the same venue as tonight’s game.
