UEFA Champions League Preview: Monaco vs Juventus – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

High-flying Juventus travel to the Stade Louis II to face off against Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco in the UEFA Champions League final league-phase round. Both sides are likely to qualify for the knockout playoffs unless something exceptional happens on the final matchday.

Despite firing 20 shots, Monaco suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Real Madrid in the penultimate Champions League round, losing crucial ground on the top eight. Sitting 21st in the 36-team table, Les Monégasques boast a slender one-point lead over 25th Napoli.

Failure is, therefore, not an option for Sébastien Pocognoli’s men, who head into proceedings amid a rough patch. Despite snapping a two-game losing streak over the weekend, Monaco failed to beat Ligue 1 minnows Le Havre, sharing the spoils in an uneventful 0-0 draw.

In stark contrast, Juventus ripped apart defending Serie A champions Napoli on Sunday, strolling to a dominant 3-0 home victory. As a result, the Turin giants have now won four of their last five matches in all competitions (L1), including a 2-0 triumph over Benfica in their most recent European outing.

Despite commencing this season’s league phase with a dreadful four-game winless run (D1, L1), Juventus enter this round only a point adrift of eighth-placed Chelsea. However, Luciano Spalletti’s men are not masters of their destiny, as they need other results to go their way tonight.

Needless to say, the Bianconeri must hold up their end of the bargain.

Match Preview

Monaco

Pocognoli has come under heavy scrutiny amid Monaco’s lackluster start to the new calendar year. The French heavyweights have picked up just one win in five competitive games in January so far (D1, L3), putting the former Royale Union Saint-Gilloise boss under the microscope.

Monaco enjoyed a promising start to their Champions League journey, going unbeaten in five of their first six matches this season (W2, D3). However, last week’s rout in Madrid knocked them off their perch. The impending home return may not necessarily inspire confidence.

Indeed, Les Monégasques have lost back-to-back home outings via an identical 3-1 scoreline. As a result, they are staring down the barrel of a three-game losing streak in the French principality for the first time since March 2023.

Furthermore, Pocognoli’s misfiring side failed to score multiple goals in eight consecutive fixtures at the Stade Louis II. Juventus’ upcoming visit could inflict further damage on Monaco’s disappointing home record.

Juventus

Except for a 3-2 defeat in 1998, Juventus have gone unbeaten in five of their six historical meetings with Monaco (W4, D1). Moreover, the record-time Italian champions have avoided defeat in their last four encounters, keeping three clean sheets in that sequence.

Another shutout could be on the cards, given that Juventus’ four competitive wins in 2026 have all come ‘to nil.’ Spalletti has managed to turn his side’s fortunes around, in part thanks to helping them rediscover their defensive prowess. Moreover, they’ve kept a clean sheet in three of their last four away games.

However, that has not affected their attacking output. Juventus scored at least three goals in three of those five victories.

That should’ve set them up nicely for this trip, as they seek a fourth consecutive Champions League win for the first time since November 2021 after beating the likes of Benfica, Pafos, and Bodo/Glimt in their last three league-phase matches.

Team News

Monaco’s embarrassing start to 2026 probably stems from a full-blown injury crisis at the Stade Louis II. In addition to Takumi Minamino, Lukas Hradecky, Paul Pogba, and Mohammed Salisu, Pocognoli will be without Eric Dier, Christian Mawissa, Wout Faes, and Krepin Diatta, with the latter two excluded from his Champions League squad.

As for Juventus, long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik, Daniele Rugani, and Dusan Vlahovic remain the only missing players. Fresh off breaking his scoring drought against Napoli, Jonathan David is likely to spearhead the Bianconeri’s attack, with star winger Kenan Yildiz expected to be the visitors’ driving force in the final third.

Monaco vs Juventus Potential Starting Lineups

Monaco (4-2-3-1): Kohn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Teze, Henrique; Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Fati, Golovin; Balogun.

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cabal; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Miretti, McKennie, Yildiz; Openda.

Monaco vs Juventus Prediction

With Juventus hitting a purple patch at the start of the new calendar year, this feels like a routine-looking task for the Bianconeri. Injury-hit Monaco cannot catch a break these days, and we expect the Italian heavyweights to claim all three points.