Monaco vs Barcelona Champions League prediction and stats: Hansi Flick hoping to extend impressive record
A new era of the Champions League commences as Monaco and Barcelona face off in the league phase on Thursday.
Monaco are making their first non-qualifying Champions League appearance since 2018/19. Barcelona, meanwhile, returned to knockout stage football last season after dropping out of the Champions League group stage in the previous two campaigns.
Three Monaco vs Barcelona predictions
Monaco 1-2 Barcelona (7/1 with Midnite)
Three of Barcelona’s five games this season have finished with a 2-1 scoreline. The Blaugrana have also won two of their three away matches this season 2-1.
Robert Lewandowski to score anytime (19/20 with Midnite)
No active player in the Champions League has scored more goals than Robert Lewandowski, who has netted 94 goals in 120 appearances.
Barcelona to win and BTTS (2/1 with Midnite)
Barcelona have won all five of their games so far this season. However, Hansi Flick’s side have only kept one clean sheet in that run.
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How to watch Monaco vs Barcelona live
Monaco and Barcelona kicks off on Thursday 19th September at 8pm and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2.
How both teams go into Monaco vs Barcelona
Monaco sealed a return to the Champions League proper by finishing second in Ligue 1 in 2023/24, nine points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain. It was Monaco’s highest final league placing since 2017/18, when they were also runners-up to PSG. So, this is Monaco’s 10th appearance in Champions League group stage — and a first since 2018/19.
Barcelona, meanwhile, relinquished their La Liga title to Real Madrid in the 2023/24 season, finishing second with 85 points — 10 behind their great rivals. In the summer, Barcelona replaced Xavi with former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Hansi Flick.
Flick has the best win percentage (89%) in uefa Champions League history of any manager to take charge of more than one game. He presides over Barcelona’s 29th campaign in the Champions League proper, a competition record they share with Real Madrid. They have featured every season since the 2003/04 season. However, prior to their run to the quarter-finals last season, Barcelona had suffered back-to-back group-stage exits.
Monaco host Barcelona at Stade Louis II on Thursday 19th September at 8pm.
Monaco team news
Goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki sustained an ankle injury at the start of August and is expected to be out of action until early October. He’s joined on the sidelines by Edan Diop, but Lamine Camara could return after concussion protocols.
Barcelona team news
Gavi continues to recover from a serious knee injury sustained in November 2023, while Frenkie de Jong has been out since April with an ankle injury. Ronald Araújo, who has not played since July’s Copa América, has a muscle injury that will keep him out until January. However, he would have been suspended anyway after his red card against PSG in the quarter-finals last season.
Marc Bernal, who started in Barcelona’s first three league games, is not expected to play again this season after suffering a serious knee injury against Rayo Vallecano.
Andreas Christensen has not played since August due to tendinitis in his Achilles, while Fermín López was forced to withdraw from Spain’s U21 squad due to a muscle injury. Ansu Fati, who picked up a foot injury over the summer, is yet to play this season.
Monaco vs Barcelona head-to-head
These two sides have faced off just twice before, in the 1993/94 Champions League group stage. A first-half double from Txiki Begiristain gave Barcelona a 2–0 win at the Camp Nou in December 1993 – the Spanish side’s first-ever group victory in their second game in the Champions League proper. In the return fixture, Hristo Stoichkov’s goal secured top spot in Group A for Barcelona.
| Monaco vs Barcelona H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Ground | |||||
| 13/04/94 | Monaco 0-1 Barcelona | Stade Louis II, Monaco | |||||
| 08/12/93 | Barcelona 2-0 Monaco | Camp Nou, Barcelona | |||||
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