Monaco vs RB Leipzig – Champions League – Preview

Monaco vs RB Leipzig – Tuesday, November 21, 19:45GMT/20:45CET – Stade Louis II, Monaco.  

Monaco vs RB Leipzig will take place at the Stade Louis II – Monaco. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

Like Borussia Dortmund RB Leipzig dropped points on matchday 13 and as a result, have fallen to third place behind Schalke 04. Furthermore, like Dortmund Leipzig was hoped to challenge Bayern München for the Bundesliga title this season, but now six points behind Bayern a title challenge is difficult to imagine. Unlike Dortmund, however, Leipzig still have a realistic chance of reaching the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

RB Leipzig’s Champions League aspirations will be on the line on Tuesday against Monaco. Both clubs will have to win to ensure that they will not be eliminated from the competition. For RB Leipzig surviving the group stage in their first ever European campaign would be a significant achievement.

Monaco, on the other hand, have been a shadow of the side that reached the semi-finals of the competition last year. Monaco have only added one point to their tally since the 1-1 draw on matchday 1. Losing key players like Keylan Mbappé, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoué Bakayoko may have filled the coffers of billionaire owner Dmitri Rybolovlev, but it has certainly hurt the team on the field.

If Porto manage a result against Besiktas on Tuesday Monaco would be out of contention even with a victory against Leipzig. With the situation, dire Monaco may focus on Ligue 1 instead, which could give Leipzig an edge to get the result. Leipzig, however, have shown signs that they are struggling with the loaded schedule. Furthermore, Die Roten Bullen dropped two additional points against Leverkusen on Saturday, which could hurt the player’s overall confidence.

Monaco vs RB Leipzig – Player to look out for:

Timo Werner #11 – RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig may have dropped two points against Bayer Leverkusen, but Timo Werner was once again deadly. Although Werner missed a penalty against Bayern in the DFB Pokal, the young striker showed no nerves scoring from the point against Bayer. The goal was already Werner seventh goal in ten Bundesliga matches as the 21-year-old has quickly established himself as Germany’s top striker.

Timo Werner has been on form once again this season. (Photo by Oliver Hardt/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Radamel Falcao #9 – AS Monaco

13 goals in ten Ligue 1 matches highlight Falcao is once again a force to be reckoned with. His goal scoring numbers are even more impressive given that the Colombian has lost his congenial forward partner Mbappé this summer. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia fast approaching Falcao has cemented his place as Colombia’s number one forward and is once again viewed around the world as a world star striker.

Falcao has been deadly for Monaco once again. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)

Monaco vs RB Leipzig – Match Stats

• After meeting for the first time on matchday 1 (1-1) of the UEFA Champions League Tuesday’s game will be the two sides second encounter.
• Leipzig are playing their first ever Champions League campaign.
• Leipzig will be out of contention for a top-two finish if they do not win and FC Porto (six points) do away to Beşiktaş JK (ten points).
• Monaco must win and hope Porto do not to stay in contention for a top-two finish. They will be confirmed in fourth if they lose.
• Overall, Monaco’s record at home to Bundesliga clubs is W5 D3 L1; the sole blemish was a 1-0 reverse to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1996-97 UEFA Cup second round (a result which completed a 4-3 aggregate success). They have won five of the last six such encounters.

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: Monaco vs RB Leipzig – 1-1 

Monaco vs RB Leipzig – Possible Lineups

Monaco

Formation: 4-4-2

Subašić – Jorge, Jemerson, Glik, Raggi – Baldé, Fabinho, Tielemans, Lopes – Falcao, Carrilo

Coach: Leonardo Jardim

RB Leipzig

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Gulasci – Halstenberg, Orban, Konaté, Bernardo – Demme, Keïta – Forsbery, Kampl – Werner, Augustin

Coach: Ralph Hasenhüttl

Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and social media editor at Bundesliga.com. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which will be available in print soon. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.