Preview: Valencia vs. Monaco
Valencia take on Monaco at the Mestalla on Wednesday night, in what will be the first Champions League tie in the city of Valencia since 2013. which also took place against French opposition.
Nuno Santo’s men were given arguably the toughest draw of the lot when the five games were decided on August 8th. Club Brugge, Lazio, Rapid Vienna and CSKA Moscow were other possible options, but Los Che drew the short straw.
Valencia have been well-prepared for this fixture. They were the first La Liga club to play a pre-season game, having begun on July 8th. Despite this, the results weren’t fantastic. They’ve gone on to play eight games in total, winning three, drawing two and losing another three.
Monaco, on the other hand, have already started their league season, and currently sit in sixth in Ligue 1 following a narrow win against Nice, and a goalless draw against Lille. Monaco have also played in this season’s Champions League, beating Young Boys 7-1 on aggregate in the previous round.
The two have only faced each other twice, the most recent affair being a 2-2 draw in the 2014 Emirates Cup.
Valencia have added a lot of young talent to their squad this summer, with Santi Mina, Zakaria Bakkali and Danilo joining. Andre Gomes, Alvaro Negredo, Joao Cancelo and Rodrigo all made their loan moves permanent.
Monaco have done little in the way of transfers, their most notable signing being Stephan el Shaarawy on a loan. There have been many more outgoings than incomings at Monaco this summer, with Falcao, Stekelenburg, Ocampos and Ferreira-Carrasco leaving over the summer.
There’s nothing much in the way of team news, with Valencia’s team being confirmed last week. No Nicolas Otamendi for Los Che, with the Argentine very close to a move to Manchester City.
Expected line-up and predictions:
Valencia: Ryan, Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Gayá; Enzo Pérez, Parejo, De Paul; Feghouli, Rodrigo, Alcácer.
Monaco: Subasic, Fabinho, Carvalho, Raggi, Kurzawa, Toulalan, Moutinho, El Shaarawy, Silva, Cavaleiro, Martial.
Prediction: Valencia 1-1 Monaco