Overview
Coach Thomas Frank will try to make his mark in the Champions League when Tottenham Hotspur travel to Louis II Stadium to face Monaco. Spurs are looking to regain inspiration after their defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.
Despite a smooth start with the opening goal of Rodrigo Bentancur, the "Roosters" still had to suffer a 1-2 defeat at home, thereby ending an impressive streak of matches in the Premier League. Frank therefore craves a strong reaction when entering the European arena.
The Danish coach had a promising start with a 1-0 victory over Villarreal and a 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt. He has the chance to become the first manager in Spurs' history to go unbeaten in the opening three Champions League games. Tottenham's most recent similar record came under Mauricio Pochettino in 2017-20 (2 wins, 1 draw).
However, history is not on their side as Spurs have won just one of their last seven away games in the Champions League (D2 L4). However, that only win came in France, when they beat Marseille 2-1 in November 2022.
Once again, Pedro Porro could be Spurs' biggest creative hope. The Spanish full-back assisted the opening goal against Bodo/Glimt, leading the team in terms of chances created (4) and cross-line passes (18) in this season's Champions League.
In addition, Mohammed Kudus also brings fresh energy. He made 5 dribbles in just 30 minutes as a substitute in the match against Bodo/Glimt - the same number as the total of the entire Tottenham team combined. This is also the best dribbling statistic for a Spurs reserve player in the history of the Champions League.
The visitors can also regain confidence when looking at Monaco's unimpressive home form in the European arena. Since a run of four consecutive wins in the 2016-2019 Champions League - including a win over Spurs - the Congressional representative has won just three of his 13 games at Louis II (D1 L9).
Not only that, Monaco have conceded 2 or more goals in the last 3 Champions League matches.
However, Adi Hutter's side showed resilience in the previous round after falling behind twice but still holding Manchester City to a 2-2 draw. That was the first time Monaco avoided a home defeat in the Champions League since September 2016 (against Bayer Leverkusen), ending a streak of 9 consecutive losses. This is also the first time they have come back twice to keep 1 point since the 2-2 draw with Rangers in November 2000.
Eric Dier has played 365 matches in all competitions for Spurs from 2014 to 2023, but unfortunately he will be absent in this reunion due to injury.
Head-to-head record
This will mark the fifth time Monaco and Tottenham have faced each other in European competition.
Monaco have failed to win in their first two meetings (D1 L1) but have won both of their group stage matches in the 2016-17 Champions League, with a score of 2-1 at home and away.
In addition, the Ligue 1 representative has only lost one of his eight home matches against English sides in the Champions League, with five wins and two draws in the remaining seven. The only such defeat came in March 2015, when they were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal.
Score prediction: Monaco 0-1 Tottenham
The match between Monaco and Tottenham takes place at 2:00 am on October 23 (Vietnam time).
