Preview:Monaco vs Tottenham Hotspur

Neither Monaco nor Tottenham Hotspur made winning returns to action following the international break, and the two inconsistent outfits now aim to right some wrongs in Wednesday's Champions League league-phase clash at the Stade Louis II.

Both sides took one point from their matchday two encounters, as the Ligue 1 club held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw, while the Lilywhites played out their own four-goal thriller with Bodo/Glimt.

Match preview

Already on the cusp of the automatic last-16 places, Tottenham have claimed a respectable four points from the first six on offer following their return to Champions League territory, although one may have felt like three away to Bodo/Glimt last time out.

Reuniting with their 2024-25 Europa League semi-final opponents - whom they saw off 5-1 on aggregate last term - Spurs found the going a lot tougher in the Arctic Circle this time around and needed a last-gasp own goal from Jostein Gundersen to salvage a 2-2 stalemate on September 30.

Nevertheless, that draw coupled with an opening beating of Villarreal - where Spurs admittedly rode their luck again - means that the Lilywhites have strung together a six-game unbeaten run in Champions League league-phase/group-stage games, while only losing two of their last 12.

However, there would be no late heroics for the Europa League champions over the weekend, as Thomas Frank's latest home horror show saw Aston Villa emerge 2-1 winners in the Premier League, leaving Tottenham with just the one win to show from their last four contests.

For all of Tottenham's travails on home soil, though, the North London outfit are still yet to suffer defeat on the road in the 2025-26 season, excluding their European Super Cup penalty-shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Also adapting to life under new management - albeit thanks to a much more recent change - Monaco will play their first European contest under the guidance of Sebastien Pocognoli this week, following the dismissal of Adi Hutter over the international break.

Hutter was fired in the wake of a disheartening run just before the two-week pause, as the 55-year-old oversaw a mere one win from his final five games at the helm, a sequence that included a 4-1 loss to Club Brugge and 2-2 draw with Manchester City in the Champions League.

The latter result - given to them courtesy of a last-gasp Eric Dier penalty - was more than respectable, but the Monegasque board have now sought fresh ideas in the shape of 38-year-old Pocognoli, a Belgian top-flight title winner with Union Saint-Gilloise.

Pocognoli's maiden match at the helm was nothing if not underwhelming, though, as Monaco shared the spoils in a 1-1 Ligue 1 draw with Angers at the weekend - the hosts' third successive stalemate across all competitions.

Les Monegasques' domestic draw prolonged their painful streak of shipping goals, and the Ligue 1 side are still waiting for their first clean sheet of the season ahead of the visit of Spurs, whom they claimed a pair of 2-1 victories against during the 2016-17 Champions League.

Monaco Champions League form:

Monaco form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Champions League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Spurs' cause against Aston Villa was not helped by a pair of fresh defensive injury blows, as Destiny Udogie was ruled out before kickoff with a minor knee issue, while captain Cristian Romero sustained an adductor issue in the warm-up.

Tottenham fans remain in the dark about both players' availability for Wednesday, but it would be a surprise to see either involved given the quick turnaround, so Kevin Danso should once again fill the Romero void alongside Micky van de Ven, who is one booking away from a UCL ban.

Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (knee), Yves Bissouma (ankle), Radu Dragusin (knee), Kota Takai (foot), Ben Davies (muscle) and Dominic Solanke (ankle) are all expected to miss out for the visitors, alongside the ineligible Mathys Tel, who suffered a calf issue at the weekend anyway.

From injured Spurs defenders to injured ex-Spurs defenders, the Lilywhites will not be reuniting with Monaco penalty hero Dier this weekend, as the Englishman has sustained a hamstring problem which will sideline him for a few weeks.

Dier takes up a place in a packed Monaco infirmary alongside Lukas Hradecky (knee), Christian Mawissa (hamstring), Vanderson (hamstring), Denis Zakaria (adductor) and Lamine Camara (ankle), while Paul Pogba is still not match fit.

However, Pocognoli has no selection concerns whatsoever up front, where Folarin Balogun could replace another Arsenal graduate in Mika Biereth after coming off the bench to score Monaco's solitary goal against Angers.

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Kohn; Salisu, Kehrer, Henrique; Diatta, Coulibaly, Teze, Ouattara; Akliouche, Fati; Balogun

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Richarlison, Simons

We say: Monaco 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Only one of Tottenham's last 18 games in the Champions League has seen the Lilywhites fail to score, while Monaco have played out just one goalless draw in their last 72 matches in any European competition.

Also factoring in both sides' defensive weaknesses and abundance of attacking options, an enthralling end-to-end encounter could be on the cards, and yet another 2-2 stalemate is a highly realistic outcome.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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