Champions League: Monaco Threat to the Champions Is Real

AS Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain

The high stakes lottery of the Champions League play-offs kick off this week and there’s a battle in France looming on Tuesday when AS Monaco host 2025 champions Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Louis II.  

This could be a good time for Le Rocher to take on PSG.

A nightmare 3-1 defeat away to Rennes on Friday 13^th knocked Luis Enrique’s PSG off the top of the Ligue 1 table. Meanwhile Sebastien Pocognoli’s Monaco beat Nantes by the same margin and they are on a run of eight points from four league games, which has lifted them up to the fringe of the European places.   

The Champions League 2026 betting odds place PSG as the fourth favourites to win the tournament right now; but this test against AS Monaco is a real danger to the Parisiens’ Euro ambitions.

 

Talking Points

Akliouche doubt for Monaco

Pocognoli has been doing a good job in difficult circumstances, with injuries to key players including Paul Pogba, Mohammed Salisu and Takumi Minamno in recent weeks, but the results have been holding up, improving in fact. But the Monaco boss has another headache this week, after he watched his 23 year old winger Maghnes Akliouche limp off during the win over FC Nantes. With five caps for Les Bleus in 2025 Akliouche is a rising star but he is now doubtful for this key clash with PSG.

Lamine Camara also looked in pain when he was substituted, when he was on the end of a fierce tackle; but Pocognoli says the Senegal man should be okay to make the Tuesday clash.

Monaco are playing with supreme confidence at home, beating Rennes 4-0 two weeks ago. Ivorian striker Simon Adringa bagged a brace against Nantes and he will start against PSG, while USA forward Folarin Balogun is in competition with Ansu Fati for the other striking position. Led by Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria, who also scored on Friday, Monaco have won six of their eight home domestic games this season, including one against Paris Saint-Germain.               

 

Ousmane’s outburst could go one of two ways    

PSG’s Friday the 13^th horror show in Rennes prompted star forward Ousmane Dembele to have a crack at his team-mates, which didn’t go down too well with his manager. Despite having 67 per cent possession and 22 shots on goal, PSG were wasteful in front of goal and they allowed their hosts to get amongst their defence with 13 of their own shots, four on target and three in the net. 

France and PSG star Dembele was particularly annoyed that, when he had halved the deficit on 71 minutes, his team did not go for the jugular as he had expected and conceded a third goal ten minutes later to end all hopes of a fight back. Dembele accused his team-mates of lacking desire, and he asked them to play for PSG rather than themselves.

The French and European champions have some special players in their ranks, among them Georgian wing wizard Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and skipper Achraf Hakimi, who must have wondered what Dembele was playing at, and whether he maybe should have been more vocal himself. Enrique certainly wasn’t happy with the comments, saying: “The players’ statements after the match are worthless; absolutely worthless. I’m not going to answer any question from a player.”

The Parc des Princes is a tense place to be at the moment. The reigning champions are in this predicament as they failed to beat Newcastle United in their last group game, with a patchy set of Champions League 2026 results producing just one win in the last five. Their Ligue 1 title defence is under threat and PSG have a real problem brewing if they don’t start to play to their 2024/25 levels.

Dembele’s stinging words might have the desired effect…or the small cracks that are appearing at the club might just widen.  

 

History

PSG have bossed the head to head relationship with Monaco, winning 23 to 13 and there have been 14 draws over the past 50 meetings. The Parisiens have been in charge too at the Stade Louis II, though when the two teams met in November a Takumi Minamino goal gave ten man Monaco a 1-0 Ligue 1 victory.

In terms of recent form Monaco have won two, drawn three and lost one of their last six outings in all competitions, while PSG have won three, drawn one and lost two over that time.

 

Betting Tip

With Monaco at SBOTOP odds of 5.45, the draw at 4.33 and the away win at 1.55 this is a game PSG should expect to win; but the champions’ form has been patchy of late, and they meet a team which has been consistent at home, and beat them in this stadium just three months ago.      

   

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