The troubled beginning to Thierry Henry’s Monaco managerial career comes under even more intense focus on Sunday night when runaway leaders Paris Saint Germain visit the beleaguered principality club.
Five games after replacing Leonardo Jardim, Les Bleus record scorer still finds himself without a single victory. One week after another, Monaco’s chequered campaign goes from bad to worse.
Tuesday’s 0-4 setback at the hands of Belgian champions Club Brugge was the club’s worst-ever home loss in European competition. It was preceded by Ligue One losses at Strasbourg and Reims.
A Champions League draw away to Club Brugge and home stalemate with struggling Dijon are the only two occasions Henry’s Monaco have registered points. In contrast, PSG arrive in Monaco on a roll. The Parisians’ twelve-match winning streak at the start of this season, is a record in Europe’s top five leagues.
But it is not all gloom for Monaco who face former star Kylian Mbappe Lottin one year after selling him to Thomas Tuchel’s PSG for an astonishing £166m. Injuries at the 2016/17 French champions are easing up. Monaco’s two most experienced stars – top scorer Radamel Falcao and Swiss keeper Diego Begnaglio are available for selection.
Joint second-placed Lille Metropole and Montpellier both have an opportunity to slice leaders PSG’s eleven point advantage when they play Strasbourg and Angers respectively. Lille’s much vaunted ‘BIP’ attack of Jonathan Bamba, Jonathan Ikone and Nicolas Pepe test their mercurial skills against Alsace region kingpins Strasbourg on Friday night, before Montpellier, who whitewashed Olympique Marseille last Sunday confront Angers a day later.
Elsewhere, Bruno Genesio will demand a better defensive display from Olympique Lyon at basement club Guingamp as they surrendered a two-goal advantage to draw two-all with Hoffenheim mid-week.
Rudi Garcia’s star-studded Marseille are meanwhile highly fancied to topple Dijon at Stade Velodrome.
FRIDAY:
Lille Metropole v Strasbourg @10:45pm
SATURDAY:
Guingamp v Olympique Lyon @07:00pm
Angers v Montpellier @10:00pm
Nimes v Nice @10:00pm
Saint Etienne v Reims @10:00pm
Toulouse v Amiens @10:00pm
SUNDAY:
Bordeaux v Caen 05:00pm
Marseille v Dijon 07:00pm
Rennes v Nantes 07:00pm
Monaco v Paris Saint Germain 11:00pm
BET ON ALL THESE GAMES @Bunga Bet
