Monaco vs Aston Villa predictions: Expect fireworks at Stade Louis II
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- Monaco are 16th in the Champions League standings
- Aston Villa are fifth, three points ahead of the French outfit
- Recommended bet: Over 3.5 goals
Two teams battling for a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League meet at Stade Louis II on Tuesday, when Monaco take on Aston Villa.
The Villans head into the clash sitting fifth in the table, having collected 13 points from six matches, but the fact 16th-placed Monaco are just three points behind them highlights how close the standings are.
With the duo eyeing the top-eight finish that would secure them a place in the last 16, Tuesday's contest could turn out to be an entertaining, end-to-end affair.
Team news
Monaco will be without January signing Mika Biereth, who is ineligible for this stage of the competition, while Folarin Balogun and George Ilenikhena remain sidelined.
Krepin Diatta and Wilfried Singo both missed Friday's defeat to Montpellier and will need to be assessed.
Villa's John McGinn is closing in on a return from a thigh injury, but this European clash will come too soon for him, while Diego Carlos is also missing due to an ankle issue.
Ross Barkley is another couple of weeks away from making his comeback and Pau Torres is not expected back until the beginning of March.
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The stats
Monaco are without a win in their last four matches in all competitions, losing three times and drawing once.
After taking 10 points from their opening four Champions League matches, Les Rouge et Blanc have suffered successive defeats to Benfica (3-2) and Arsenal (3-0).
Three of Monaco's last four fixtures have produced over 3.5 goals, while there have been four or more strikes in their last two home European assignments.
Villa have lost just one of their six Champions League games, collecting 13 points in total to put themselves in a strong position to earn a top-eight finish.
The Villans came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Arsenal on Saturday, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches.
Prediction
There are clear incentives on offer for both sides heading into this matchday seven contest, with a win for Monaco putting them in the mix for a top-eight finish and a victory for Villa potentially securing them a place in the last 16.
Given what is at stake, this could turn into a free-flowing, entertaining encounter between two teams that have been strong in attack this season.
Monaco have notched 29 times in Ligue 1 and 12 times in the Champions League, while Villa have found the back of the net 33 times in the Premier League and on nine occasions in Europe.
Neither team have excelled at the back, though, with the Villans keeping just one clean sheet from their last 12 away fixtures in all competitions and Monaco failing to record a shutout in their last six outings.
All the signs are pointing towards a high-scoring contest and it would be no surprise to see at least four goals in this clash.
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