Monaco welcome Strasbourg to the principality for a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Louis II on Sunday.
Surprisingly, the visitors come into the game in better form, despite a very troubled season.
Match preview
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Despite a win over Ajaccio just before the international break, Monaco conceded a lot of ground in March, losing third spot to Lens once again.
A heartbreaking defeat on penalties to Bayer Leverkusen saw them crash out of the Europa League on home soil after winning the away leg.
That ended a five-game winning streak and by losing 3-2 in regulation time, Monaco suffered their first defeat since November.
The elimination to Leverkusen has seemingly derailed their season, with Philippe Clement's side following it up by taking just one point from their next three games.
Back-to-back home defeats against Nice and Reims, both without scoring, allowed Lens to make up the ground and leapfrog them back into the Champions League positions.
They have not lost three in succession at home since 2018, and their recent form against Strasbourg does not bode well, despite beating the Alsace-based club in the reverse fixture.
They have not done the double over Strasbourg since 2017-18, losing five of their last eight before success on the opening day.
Monaco's record used to be phenomenal against these opponents, especially on home soil, with a run of 22 wins and a draw from 23 games at home between the 1980s and 2017.
Had the game taken place a month or so ago, then a repeat would have been likely, but since hiring Frederic Antonetti, Strasbourg have improved greatly.
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Change was desperately needed as former manager Julien Stephan took just 11 points from the first 17 games of the season.
It was an almost scarcely believable fall off after how well they fared last season, finishing sixth with 63 points.
Antonetti has led them to a vital eight points in his five games in charge so far, moving Strasbourg out of the relegation zone.
They are still only three points above the drop, but the signs do look much better than they did at the start of 2023.
Despite missing a penalty last time out against Auxerre, Habib Diallo again showed his value to the team by finding the net in a 2-0 win.
His goal there was a sixth in seven games, meaning he has scored two-thirds of Strasbourg's goals in that period.
Team News
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Kevin Volland will remain out for Monaco with a broken rib, while a hip injury for Ismail Jakobs saw him miss Senegal duty last week.
Breel Embolo was not involved for Switzerland during the break, and he could miss out with a knee injury here.
Aleksandr Golovin missed the win over Ajaccio, but with Russia only calling up domestic players since their ban from UEFA-sanctioned fixtures, he has had the international break to nurse his groin issue.
Strasbourg should be able to welcome back influential midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to the starting lineup after he made a 30-minute cameo against Auxerre following a two-month spell on the sidelines.
Frederic Guilbert will be available again after a one-match suspension, but Maxime Le Marchand is unlikely to feature as he continues to recover from a sprained ankle.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Aguilar, Disasi, Maripan, Caio Henrique; Vanderson, Fofana, Camara, Diatta; Ben Yedder, Boadu
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Dagba, Nyamsi, Doukoure, Delaine, Lienard; Sanson, Aholou, Bellegarde; Diallo, Gameiro
We say: Monaco 2-1 Strasbourg
The form table suggests Monaco may struggle in this one despite the huge difference in league positions.
However, their win last time out against Ajaccio may give them confidence, even if Strasbourg impressively held Marseille in their last away outing.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
