Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Arsenalvs.Monaco

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 December 2024, 12:08
Locked together on 10 points after five games of the 2024-25 Champions League, Arsenal and Monaco butt heads in an intriguing-looking contest at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

As things stand, both teams are clinging onto the final two automatic qualification spots for the last 16, although they could be bumped out of the top eight if results on Tuesday go against them.

The Gunners and Les Monegasques fared differently against Portuguese foes last time out, as while Mikel Arteta's men demolished Sporting Lisbon 5-1, Adi Hutter's team suffered a late collapse in a 3-2 home loss to Benfica.

However, Monaco returned to triumphant ways at the weekend with a routine 2-0 Ligue 1 win over Toulouse, whereas Arsenal had to settle for a 1-1 draw with London rivals Fulham in the Premier League.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 2

Arsenal wins: 1

Draws: 0

Monaco wins: 1

Alongside a couple of friendly matches, Arsenal and Monaco have only ever faced off in a pair of competitive Champions League meetings, both of which were played in the last 16 of the 2014-15 tournament.

The knockout battle saw Arsene Wenger reunite with the team he led to Division 1 and Coupe de France glory during his seven-year stint in charge from 1987 to 1994, but there was no room for sentimentality when the Frenchman pitted his wits against his old team.

Indeed, Arsenal and Monaco drew 3-3 on aggregate after two legs that year, but with the now-abolished away goals rule still in operation back then, the Ligue 1 side progressed to the quarter-finals as the Gunners' last-16 curse continued.

The damage was done during their first-ever competitive meeting at the Emirates in February 2015, where Monaco led 2-0 by the hour mark thanks to Geoffrey Kondogbia and Dimitar Berbatov's efforts, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cut the deficit in half in added time.

However, what proved to be the hammer blow was struck even deeper into second-half injury time by Yannick Carrasco, who latched onto a pass from now-Manchester City star Bernardo Silva and struck Monaco's third with one of the final attacks of the game.

Wenger's side had to score at least three times on Monaco's turf a couple of weeks later to stand a chance of advancing, and the comeback was very much on when Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey netted either side of half time.

However, after Ramsey's 79th-minute strike, Monaco kept Arsenal at bay for the final 10, meaning that the Gunners' 2-0 success was inconsequential and Leonardo Jardim's men reached the last eight, where they were sent packing by Juventus.

Arsenal and Monaco have reunited in a non-competitive setting since then, as Les Monegasques were the visitors to North London for the 2023 Emirates Cup, a match won by Arteta's men on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Previous meetings

Mar 17, 2015: Monaco 0-2 Arsenal (Champions League Round-Of-16)

Feb 25, 2015: Arsenal 1-3 Monaco (Champions League Round-Of-16)

Read more on Arsenal vs Monaco

Arsenal's top 10 players of the Arsene Wenger era

Arteta's diminished defence: Arsenal injury list for Monaco clash

Click here to read our full preview for Arsenal vs Monaco

Shock starter in defence? Predicted Arsenal XI against Monaco

Two suspended, will Balogun play? Predicted Monaco XI against Arsenal

Written by

Ben Knapton

Top News

22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton have confirmed ex-Roma boss Ivan Juric as their new manager to replace Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest enhanced their Champions League credentials and condemned Brentford to their first home loss of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish burned some bridges with Aston Villa after taunting the club's fans following their victory over Manchester City. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A fitting final Premier League match before Christmas Day, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool engage in a battle of the behemoths in North London on Sunday afternoon. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa handed Manchester City a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, adding to the woes of Pep Guardiola's side, who have now endured nine losses in their last 12 matches. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has claimed that his side decided to defeat Manchester City "through domination" on Saturday afternoon. 21 December 2024 talksport.com "This is a crisis." 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Sevilla to Bernabeu on Sunday. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have added Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to their wishlist for the summer transfer window, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be without the services of Hector Fort for Saturday's La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid, with the defender ruled out of the contest due to a hamstring problem. 21 December 2024 talksport.com It was the nightmare before Christmas for new Coventry City manager Frank Lampard. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's horror run of form continued on Saturday afternoon, with Pep Guardiola's side beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa in the Premier League.