The Daly Brief | Monaco vs Spurs, UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

"Monaco have just changed their manager and are missing some key players tonight, especially in midfield. However, a France international winger, a loanee from Barcelona and two ex-Arsenal strikers mean they do have firepower up front..."

Rob Daly, official club commentator, presenter and pundit

New face in the dugout...

Tonight’s hosts sacked head coach Adi Hütter during the international break after a run of just one win in five games. That’s despite the late rally to earn a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in their last Champions League outing - thanks to Eric Dier’s late penalty. Sébastien Pocognoli has arrived since - the man who guided Union Saint-Gilloise to league glory in Belgium last season. In his own words, the 38-year-old likes to dominate the game 'with and without the ball, with high pressing, counter-pressing, but also with control in possession'. Childhood friend Kevin Mirallas, formerly of Everton, is one of his assistants - while Pocognoli likes to play in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

Making a midfield...

A problem the new manager has, however, is the lack of available midfield options to bring that system to the principality just yet. Captain Denis Zakaria is currently in the middle of a two-month absence due to an adductor injury. Paul Pogba was expected to be available for the weekend game with Angers, but a minor thigh issue saw him miss that and tonight - having recently returned from his 18-month ban from football. Plus, Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara, international team-mate of Pape Matar Sarr, has been out for 13 games with an ankle issue.

Other absentees...

Eric Dier, deployed at centre-back since his arrival from Bayern Munich, can’t help make Pocognoli’s back three a reality due to an injury of his own. Even first-choice goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky is unavailable at the moment. “We look at the last game they played and then a lot of games from Union,” said Thomas Frank yesterday, on trying to work out what to expect from a side with a new boss. “We have, I think, a good idea of what they want.” Pocognoli went with a 4-2-3-1 system for the weekend 1-1 draw at Angers, conceding an equaliser five minutes from time - but the match provided a reminder of the attacking threats they possess.

Monaco's forward options...

Right-winger Maghnes Akliouche is a major threat cutting in on to his left foot to shoot. The 23-year-old came to the fore after his excellent winning goal against Barcelona last season doing just that - and has since broken into the France squad. They have two former Arsenal strikers on their books too - London-born Danish international Mika Biereth scored 13 times in 19 games last season after joining in January and relishes the physical side of the game. Folarin Balogun, meanwhile, came on at the weekend to collect a pass between centre-back and full-back to thump home the opening goal against Angers. There’s also Ansu Fati who, despite a challenging Brighton loan in 23/24, has shone with six goals in six games - mostly as a sub (321 minutes of football) as he works his way up to full fitness.

Spurs selection...

Given Monaco’s midfield issues, with full-back Jordan Teze starting as one of the holding two at the weekend, it will be interesting to see how Thomas Frank makes up his side tonight. Sarr and Lucas Bergvall may well be pushing for starts to freshen things up after both were used substitutes in the Villa defeat. Randal Kolo Muani made his Premier League debut at the weekend as he continues to return from a dead leg - and, as a player with great Ligue 1 experience with PSG and Nantes, it could be a good stage for him to get more minutes. There will have to be a change up front with Mathys Tel unavailable in the Champions League - a chance that could be taken up by Richarlison. At the back, however, there is less room for manoeuvring – with Cristian Romero, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie joining Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai on the absentee list.

Watch | Thomas Frank and Kevin Danso pre-match in Monaco...