Barcelona enter Champions League play in good form under new manager Hansi Flick, and they’ll look to get off to a hot start Thursday against AS Monaco. Flick has gotten Barcelona back to the top of La Liga with an eye popping 17 goals scored in only five games, and while Robert Lewandowski has led the way with four goals, it has been a team effort. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha patrol the wings and Dani Olmo has been there in the middle to set everyone up as this team attacks with ease.
Monaco have had a solid start to the Ligue 1 season thanks to strong play from their defense but they haven’t faced a team who can attack like Barcelona so this will be a good test to see how far they can go.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Sep. 19 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Stade Louis II — Monaco, France
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Monaco +320; Draw +300; Barcelona -135
League phase schedule
Monaco: Barcelona (h), Dinamo Zagreb (a), Crvena zvezda (h), Bologna (a), Benfica (h), Arsenal (a), Aston Villa (h), Inter (a)
Barcelona: Monaco (a), Young Boys (h), Bayern Munich (h), Crvena zvezda (a), Brest (h), Boussia Dortmund (a), Benfica (a), Atalanta (h)
Team News
Monaco: Only without Radoslaw Majecki and Edan Diop, it’s pretty close to a clean bill of health for Monaco but that doesn’t mean that we’ll see America striker Folarin Balogun start the match. Balogun has struggled to stick in the starting XI to kick off the season due to Monaco’s depth in attack and has had to settle for coming off the bench. With no goals in three matches played, he’s not pushing for inclusion in the XI either, something that will need to change sooner than later for him as United States men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino will be keeping an eye on playing time.
Possible Monaco XI: Philipp Kohn, Vanderson, Thilo Kehrer, Mohammed Salisu, Caio Henrique, Lamine Camara, Denis Zakaria, Maghnes Akliouche, Aleksander Golovin, Takumi Minamino, Breel Embolo
Barcelona: Without Olmo, it could be another chance for Ferran Torres in the starting XI. Sent off in the 86th minute of Barcelona’s last match against Girona, he hasn’t gotten off to a great start to the season but depth isn’t a strong suit for Flick’s men. With Raphinha able to slide into central positions when needed, Torres could move out to the wing in what could be a chance to turn his season around. Fermin Lopez will also miss the match which is a concern due to him taking part in the Euros and the Olympics for Spain. Two summer tournaments can be quite a load on a player’s legs.
Possible Barcelona XI: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Alex Balde, Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde, Pedri, Marc Casado, Ferran Torres, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski
Prediction
Look out for goals early and often in this one. Barcelona don’t like to defend and Monaco can counter well, but Barcelona’s attack will prove to be too much to keep up with. Pick: Monaco 2, Barcelona 4
