The Jan Breydel Stadium plays host to Club Brugge’s opening fixture in the Champions League as Ligue 1 side Monaco comes visiting.
Club Brugge will aim to get a good start to their Champions League group phase campaign, as they host AS Monaco in the opening game. Nick Hayen’s side are here courtesy of qualifying for the tournament as they defeated RB Salzburg and Rangers in the process
The two-legged victory over Rangers was particularly intriguing, given their 9-1 aggregate scoreline, including a 6-0 thrashing at the Jan Breydel Stadium. That would have been a precursor to start their season well, otherwise, which has not been the case for Club Brugge.
They have dropped points in their last two games, including a defeat in the latest league clash involving La Louviere. However, heading into the UEFA Champions League opener, Club Brugge do boast a healthy record on home soil, where they have lost just once in 14 games, which might work in their favour when facing Monaco.
Speaking of form, AS Monaco do not have a good record away from home in recent times, with the French side’s victory over Bologna in last season’s league phase their only victory in 12 games on the road in the competition.
Adi Hutter’s men have a good record in opening games of the UEFA Champions League, winning four of their last seven, including their victory over Barcelona last season. However, their record against Belgian clubs is not that great, with only one win in four meetings with such teams.
However, Adi Hutter will look to continue their good start to the new campaign, which has seen them win three and lose one of their four Ligue 1 games so far. A good start to their Champions League campaign, albeit away from home, will be a big boost for the weeks ahead, as Monaco do have some key encounters coming up.
Team News & Tactics
Club Brugge
Club Brugge are without Joaquin Seys for the upcoming clash, with Romeo Vermant a big doubt to participate. The latter has a muscle problem, as Hayen hopes he recovers in time to at least make the bench for the AS Monaco clash.
There were knocks for Hugo Vetlesen and Ludovit Reis, as the duo, alongside the other two injured stars, sat out the most recent league fixture. The manager will hope to get the duo for the game against Bayern Munich, although there will be doubts if either of them starts.
There will be starts for Christos Tzolis, Aleksandar Stankovic, Hans Vanakan, and Nicolo Tresoldi, all of whom were on the scoresheet against Rangers. However, the injured Seys also had a brace then, and he will be missed by Club Brugge against AS Monaco.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Sabbe, Spileers, Mechele, Meijer; Onyedika, Stankovic; Forbs, Vanaken, Tzolis; Tresoldi
AS Monaco
Adi Hutter must contend with a few injury issues with his players, with as many as five key stars are in danger of missing out on this trip to Belgium. Starting with Paul Pogba, the midfielder is still rebuilding his fitness following a long time out of the game, and this clash will come too early for him to play. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky is out with an injury, and so are Aleksandr Golovin and Stanis Idumbo.
The latest Ligue 1 game against Auxerre saw Takumi Minamino pick up an injury late in that clash, which makes him a significant doubt for the Club Brugge encounter. Ideally, this could be the game to give Ansu Fati a start, but Adi Hutter might use him as a bench option at best for this clash.
There will be starts for former Arsenal attacking pair Mika Biereth and Folarin Balogun, with the latter leading the line and the former playing in more of a second-striker role. Denis Zakaria and Aladji Bamba are expected to start in the central midfield berths, with Maghnes Akliouche and George Ilenikhena providing the width in the system.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Kohn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Ouattara; Akliouche, Bamba, Zakaria, Ilenikhena; Biereth, Balogun
Key Stats
- Club Brugge have lost just once in their last 14 competitive matches on home soil.
- Club Brugge have also suffered only two defeats in their previous 17 European matches played at home.
- AS Monaco have beaten Belgian sides only once in their last four meetings.
- AS Monaco have only one victory in their last 12 away matches in the YEFA Champions League.
- Christos Tzolis created 27 chances in the UEFA Champions League last season; the most by a Club Brugge player in a single edition on record (since 2003/04).
Player to Watch
Mika Beireth
The former Arsenal academy star earned a big career move to AS Monaco last summer and proved himself to be an instant hit. The Danish international scored 13 goals in 16 appearances between January and May, as that form made him one of the formidable marksmen in Europe.
However, he has not had the best of starts this season, going scoreless in the four appearances so far. However, this away trip to Club Brugge could be the right occasion for him to get off the mark, and AS Monaco will need some inspiration from the squad following a raft of injuries to other key players. Hence, Biereth will be one of the key Monaco players in focus as the Ligue 1 giants looks to get off the mark in Europe.
Prediction
Club Brugge 1-2 AS Monaco
Club Brugge might have come out of their recent games in the UEFA Champions League qualifying with flying colours, but the prospect of achieving something similar against AS Monaco will prove challenging. However, they do have a home advantage, which would give them a slight edge, although they are still underdogs for this one.
AS Monaco have a good record in their opening UEFA Champions League encounters, and compared to Club Brugge, they also have a relatively better squad. The Ligue 1 giants are likely to take three points in Belgium, albeit with a narrow scoreline. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Adi Hutter and his charges.
