Valencia vs Monaco Prediction and Football Tips – 19/08/2015
Champions League football tips – Valencia vs Monaco prediction
Valencia will be without their main goalkeeper Diego Alves who sustained a cruciate ligament injury which will see him sidelined until January 2016. Nicolás Otamendi will be unlikely to play after being linked to Manchester City and Manchester United, and could be at either club come Wednesday. Javi Fuego will almost certainly be part of a central midfield three which will be crucial in order to break Monaco down.
An injury free Monaco squad means that Leonardo Jardim will be confident that he can field a strong side. New signing Stephan El Shaarawy will almost certainly start the game after a goal in their last qualification match against Young Boys. Toulalan will hold the midfield with a strong defensive pairing of Carvalho and Raggi behind him.
Possible Line-ups
Valencia: 4-3-3 formation: Yoel; Gaya, Mustafi, Orban, Cancelo; Enzo Pérez, Javi Fuego, Dani Parejo; Piatti, Negredo, Feghouli
Monaco: 4-2-3-1 formation: Subasic; Kurzawa, Carvalho, Raggi, Fabinho; Toulalan, Pašalić; El Shaarawy, Moutinho, Cavaleiro; Martial
Statistics
- Valencia have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
- Monaco have won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Valencia have scored an average of 1.4 goals and conceded an average of 1.2 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Monaco have scored an average of 1.8 goals and conceded an average of 0.8 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 5 of Valencia’s previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 6 of Monaco’s previous 10 matches
- The sides have officially met once in the European Cup Winners’ Cup and most recently in a friendly, a 2-2 draw in 2014
After finishing fourth last season during a solid campaign Valencia will be looking to reach the group stage after a two year absence. The potential loss of Otamendi will test their defensive stability versus a pacey Monaco front line. Their solid midfield will be looking to break any Monaco attack down.
It’s difficult to judge Monaco after two league games, but sitting unbeaten in sixth will give them confidence. They will be looking to repeat the performance which virtually knocked Arsenal out of the competition last season at the Emirates. However the loss of both Dimitar Berbatov and Falcao means they could struggle to score goals.
It is difficult to choose a winner for this game, and I believe that the strength in both teams’ midfields will result in both teams cancelling each other out. A score draw is my prediction.