Monaco v Juventus match preview

Monaco v Juventus match preview

Free-scoring Monaco will look to break down the best defence in Europe when they host Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.

* Monaco aiming to reach final for second time; they were runners-up in 2003/04
* Juve have won just one of 11 European Cup semi-final away legs
* Bakayoko expected to wear face mask on Wednesday
* Bianconeri beat ASM 6-4 on aggregate in 1997/98 semis
* Monaco have won six, drawn one at home in this season’s competition

Possible line-ups
Monaco: Subašić; Mendy, Jemerson, Glik, Touré; Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Bakayoko, Lemar; Mbappé, Falcao.
Out: Boschilia (knee), Carrillo (groin)
Doubtful: Sidibé (appendicitis), Bakayoko (nose)

Juventus: Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Pjanić, Marchisio; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandžukić; Higuaín.
Out: Khedira (suspended), Pjaca (knee), Rugani (leg)

Leonardo Jardim, Monaco coach
Juventus have a winning culture. They are well organised and physical defensively. In attack they are strong and they really only need two chances to score one. They are clinical and very good at set pieces. They are very hard to defend against.

Like Buffon, I think we’ll score at the Juventus Stadium. We scored three at Dortmund, three at City and also a couple at Tottenham. Juventus are very different to Dortmund and City, though. Those clubs are more attack-minded and less focused on defence. We’ll need to pay attention to transitional phases. We’ll also need to move the ball quickly going forward.

Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus coach
I hope we’ll become the first team to beat Monaco in this stadium in this competition this season. They play very direct football and they’re very different from the side we faced two years ago.

Monaco in 2015 were stronger defensively and now they’re stronger as an attacking unit. Monaco score a lot of goals, especially at the end of matches. We’ll need to produce two big performances.

Weekend results
Monaco 3-1 Toulouse (Glik 49, Mbappé 64, Lemar 75; Toivonen 46)
This was the Ligue 1 leaders’ 13th straight home win in all competitions. Though Ola Toivonen’s opportunist finish put Toulouse in front just after the interval, Monaco levelled moments later through Kamil Glik’s header. Kylian Mbappé then fired in his 18th goal in his last 18 club appearances before Thomas Lemar turned in from close range to wrap up the points.

Atalanta 2-2 Juventus (Conti 45, Freuler 89; Spinazzola og 50, Dani Alves 83)
The champions fell behind when Andrea Conti headed in Alejandro Gómez’s cross on the stroke of half-time but equalised swiftly after the break when Miralem Pjanić’s free-kick was nodded past his own goalkeeper by Leonardo Spinazzola. Dani Alves’s diving header from another fine Pjanić cross looked like being decisive, only for Remo Freuler to scramble in a late equaliser and deny the visitors a fourth straight Serie A success.

Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Monaco: WLWWWW
Juventus: DWDWWW