AS Monaco vs. Aston Villa: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Given Villa's injury list, this won't be an easy task, with their midfield in particular looking very light. However, they're playing a Monaco side without a win in their last four, and Villa are unbeaten in their last five.

Monaco have two wins and one loss at home in the Champions League this season while Villa have two wins and one defeat on the road, so both sides are comparable in that regard.

BTTS has occurred in four of the last five of both teams, so we expect that trend to continue here, in a game that we fancy will end all square. Monaco 2-2 Aston Villa.

Aston Villa are hoping to take a big step towards automatic progression to the knockout stage of the Champions League as they take on Monaco this week.

• Date: 21/01/2025
• Kick-off time: 17:45
• Location: Stade Louis II, Monaco

Monaco come into this game 16th in the Champions League table with 10 points from 6 games. The French club have had a reasonably strong campaign on the whole and they enter this encounter with an outside chance of progressing to the next round automatically. That will take a monumental showing, though, as they sit three points shy of the automatic spots with Aston Villa and Inter Milan still to play, but they’ve got enough quality to pick up results from those games, even if they do probably need six points.

After a rapid start to the season, Monaco have flamed out somewhat in Ligue 1 and now sit 4th in the league table, just two points ahead of Lyon in 6th. Qualification for next season’s Champions League is, then, currently in the balance, so they’ll want to make the most of this campaign.

19-year-old Moroccan winger Eliesse Ben Seghir has been Monaco’s standout performer this season, as he boasts a record seven goals and four assists in all competitions. Ben Seghir is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best young wingers on the planet, and Monaco will do well to retain his services beyond the end of the season. Similarly, young Senegalese midfielder, Lamine Camara, has been in fine form and is one to keep an eye on.

Monaco probably need six points for automatic progression to the knockout stage but a win here should guarantee them a play-off spot. There is, though, a feeling that Monaco have dropped off at the wrong time, and if that turns out to be the case, they risk missing out altogether.

Aston Villa currently sit 5th in the Champions League table with 13 points from six games. Villa have been one of the most impressive performers of the group stage this season and stand a very good chance of automatically progressing to the knockout round. Should Villa win here, then they’ll face a home game against Celtic to secure a place in the knockout rounds. There are no easy games in this competition, but if you’d told Villa prior to a ball being kicked that this would be their situation in January, they’d have been ecstatic.

Unai Emery’s side are 7th in the Premier League with 36 points from 22 games, and while they’ve been good, there has been a slight dropoff from what we saw last season. Regardless, Emery’s sides are renowned for showing their best form in Europe, and Villa have certainly been fuelling that reputation this season.

Striker Ollie Watkins has been having a tough campaign for the most part, but with three goals in his last five, and two in his last two, there are signs that he might be reaching his best form once again, which would be a huge boost to Villa’s chances in this competition.

A win away at Monaco - even a Monaco side struggling for form - is a massive ask for Villa. Pull this one off, though, and they’ll be on the verge of the knockout stage.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 1.

Monaco Team News:

The home side are coming into this game without the services of Denis Zakaria, Wilfried Singo, George Ilenikhena and Folarin Balogun.

After a poor team showing last time out, the likes of Breel Embolo and Aleksandr Golovin should return to the starting XI.

Predicted lineup: Majecki; Teze, Kehrer, Salisu, Henrique; Magassa, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolo.

Aston Villa Team News:

The visitors continue to suffer from a number of key absentees, with Pau Torres, John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Diego Carlos all on the sidelines.

Amadou Onana is also a doubt after leaving the pitch injured at the Emirates on Saturday, so his inclusion here is doubtful.

Predicted lineup: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Kamara, Bogarde; Rogers, Tielemans, Ramsey; Watkins.

AS Monaco:

Monaco's form has really tailed off of late, with the Ligue 1 club having won only one of their last five games. At the weekend, Monaco fell to a 2-1 defeat away at Montpellier, which followed a penalty shootout loss to Reims following a 1-1 draw.

Before that, goals from Breel Embolo and Mohammed Salisu saw them secure a point away at Nantes in a 2-2 draw after falling two goals behind, which came after a 1-0 loss at PSG and a 4-1 win over Union Saint-Jean in the Coup de France, where Eliesse Ben Seghir, Vanderson, Jordan Teze and George Ilenikhena scored the goals.

Aston Villa:

Villa, meanwhile, are in good form, as they come into this one with three wins and two draws from their last five. Last time out, goals from Youri Telemans and Ollie Watkins helped the team mount a comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Arsenal, which was preceded by a 1-0 win over Everton - where Ollie Watkins scored the goal - and a 2-1 win over West Ham in the FA Cup, where Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers scored the goals.

Prior to that, Villa beat Leicester City 2-1 thanks to Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey, which was preceded by a 2-2 draw at Brighton, were Rogers and Watkins scored the goals.

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