‘I have great respect’… Monaco coach gives Barcelona their flowers ahead of UCL clash | OneFootball

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FC Barcelona may have overcome their latest challenge through a convincing victory over Girona, but the season is still long. However, with that recent victory secured, the Catalan club at least manages to maintain a perfect record so far. No matter what, five wins out of five games will always be a welcome sight at Barcelona.

However, there is also life in this season beyond just La Liga and that life is now prepared to kick off. Apart from the Spanish league, Barcelona also have great aspirations and ambitions for the UEFA Champions League, a competition that is set to kick off soon this season now.

For their first encounter of this new UCL format, Barcelona will be taking on familiar opponents in AS Monaco. The Ligue 1 side have already bested Barça in the preseason, as they overcame the Catalan giants with a 3-0 scoreline to defeat them and take away the Joan Gamper trophy.

Now, however, things will likely be a lot more trickier for the Ligue 1 outfit as Barcelona visit them in fine form and with their eyes set on revenge. Ahead of the game, however, AS Monaco coach Adolf ‘Adi’ Hutter has now spoken about his Spanish opponents in a recent interview and did not shy away from giving them their flowers, as revealed by Mundo Deportivo:

“I don’t fear any opponent, but I have great respect for one of the biggest clubs in the world… Everyone knows Barcelona. They have Robert Lewandowski up front, whom I encountered in the Bundesliga; Lamine Yamal, who scored two goals (against Girona), with a tremendous left foot, a young, talented top player; Dani Olmo, whom I also know from the Bundesliga and is top, one of the best in Europe; and Raphinha as well.”

Even beyond just the respect he has shown towards Barcelona for their form and for their prestige, the Monaco coach was also asked if he has a plan to stop Lamine Yamal, a player who is in great form right now after he scored a brace against Girona:

“When I was a player, many of my coaches were in favor of marking opponents even when they went to the bathroom (laughs). But seriously, we want to contain him as a team; I’m not the type of coach who assigns man-marking.”

While his respect towards Barcelona is more than appreciated, both teams will now turn into rivals the second they step onto the pitch. For both clubs, a win here would be extremely crucial in helping them get off to a great start in this season’s Champions League campaign. However, Hansi Flick’s new-look Catalan team will want to make sure it is them who get all three points.