Back in the Champions League after nearly six years of absence, AS Monaco is set to make a strong start. The club from the Principality will host FC Barcelona tonight at the Louis-II Stadium (9:00 PM).
Denis Zakaria: the Swiss captain of AS Monaco is ready to face Barcelona © KEYSTONE/SALVATORE DI NOLFI
Denis Zakaria: the Swiss captain of AS Monaco is ready to face Barcelona © KEYSTONE/SALVATORE DI NOLFI
Published on 19.09.2024
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Adi Hütter, the coach who led the Young Boys to the title in 2018 (the first for the Bernese since 1986), and his three Swiss players (Philipp Köhn, Denis Zakaria, Breel Embolo) will face a very strong opponent. Barça has started La Liga with a bang, with five wins from as many matches.
The attacking potential of the Catalans, notably with the eternal Polish scorer Robert Lewandowski and the prodigy Lamine Yamal (17 years old), is impressive. Barcelona has scored 17 goals since the start of the season in La Liga. “What they are doing is very strong,” admits Monaco captain Denis Zakaria. “As for Yamal, he impresses me for his age. But I am sure we can cause them problems.”
The other marquee match of the evening will be played in Bergamo. Atalanta, victorious in the Europa League last spring, will host Arsenal. The Gunners will need to be cautious against the Italians, who are always very inspired tactically.
Granit Xhaka’s Bayer Leverkusen will start the competition with an away match in Rotterdam against Feyenoord. Zeki Amdouni and Benfica Lisbon will play in Belgrade against Red Star, while the match between Brest and Sturm Graz may see Swiss players Edimilson Fernandes and Grégory Wüthrich go head-to-head. The program will be completed by the clash between two regulars of the competition, namely Atlético Madrid and RB Leipzig.