Leeds United will welcome AS Monaco to Elland Road on Wednesday night for their final friendly before the Premier League restart. The Whites have played two games this month, with wins coming over La Liga sides Elche and Real Sociedad and the latter coming on Friday night on home soil.
Leeds won’t be at full strength on Wednesday night, with several players carrying niggling injuries but Jesse Marsch will be aiming to see progress against Monaco, with just a week to go until Manchester City travel across the Pennines to West Yorkshire. Here’s all you need to know about the French outfit ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.
How have Monaco fared this season?
Philippe Clement’s side are currently sixth in Ligue 1, 14 points shy of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain and they have given themselves a solid base to build on in the New Year. They’re only four points behind Rennes who currently occupy the last Champions League spot and if they can build a bit of form, Monaco will fancy their chances of qualifying for Europe’s elite tournament for the third season running.
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The defeat to Marseille last time out won’t have gone down well with supporters, but Les Rouges et Blancs have picked up results against rivals Nice and Lyon this season, while they have also held PSG to a draw. They return to action against Auxerre on December 28.
Monaco were knocked out of this year’s Champions League by PSV Eindhoven in the third qualifying round, pushing them into the Europa League instead. After progressing from their group, they have a knockout clash with Bayer Leverkusen to look forward to in February as they aim to claim a place in the last 16.
Will Monaco provide a test for Leeds United?
They absolutely will. The French side will be without one or two World Cup stars, such as Youssouf Fofana and Axel Disasi, but they are still expected to travel with a strong squad and they don’t lack attacking threat.
Just two teams, PSG (43) and Rennes (31), have bettered Monaco’s goal tally of 29 over the first 15 games of the campaign, with 13 different players hitting the back of the net. They haven’t been quite as free-scoring over the World Cup break, scoring just three over the three friendlies they have played already.
But, they’ve evidently been tough to beat, with draws coming against Sevilla and Fiorentina, while a 1-0 victory was secured against Empoli. They’ll be confident of heading back into their league campaign on the back of a result at Elland Road.
Are there any familiar faces?
Perhaps the most recognisable face in the Monaco squad to Premier League fans is Takumi Minamino, who left Liverpool in the summer to join the Ligue 1 outfit. The attacking midfielder struggled to make his mark on English football but, with three assists and a goal under his belt this season, it seems he is starting to find his feet.
Chelsea defender Malang Sarr is currently on loan with Monaco and he could be involved, while those who watched the World Cup will recognise Breel Embolo’s name, with the forward scoring twice for Switzerland in the tournament.
Those of a certain age may even remember manager Clement, who spent the 1998-99 Premier League season with Coventry City, making 12 appearances.
Who else should I be looking out for?
Experienced forward Wissam Ben Yedder has been in fine form this season, bagging 10 goals in all competitions. Despite his form, he wasn’t selected to represent France at the World Cup and he should be involved at Elland Road, alongside Embolo, who, it seems, he has combined well with in attacking areas.
Russian Aleksandr Golovin has been a key man, chipping in with three goals, while Brazilian full-backs Caio Henrique and Vanderson carry threats.
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