Big Match Feature: Arsenal v Monaco

Form guide (all competitions)

Arsenal: WWWLWW

Monaco: WWLDDW

Arsenal face AS Monaco for the first time in Uefa competition in the round of 16 but for home manager Arsène Wenger the visitors will need no introduction at all.

Wenger was Monaco coach for seven years (1987–94) before leaving for Nagoya Grampus in Japan. This will be Wenger's first official encounter with his old club, who are competing in the Uefa Champions League knockout rounds for the first time in a decade.

Monaco reached the round of 16 as winners of Group C – although their 11-point total was actually two fewer than Arsenal managed in finishing Group D runners-up behind Borussia Dortmund.

Previous meetings

Although this is the sides' first competitive encounter, they did meet in north London in a pre-season friendly on 3 August. Monaco won 1-0 through a Radamel Falcao goal.

The starting line-ups were:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Debuchy, Chambers, Koscielny, Monreal, Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere, Sánchez, Giroud, Cazorla.

Monaco: Subašic, Dirar, Raggi, Carvalho, Elderson, Moutinho, Bakayoko, Kondogbia, Ferreira Carrasco, Falcao, Ocampos.

Match background

Arsenal

This is Arsenal's 15th consecutive appearance in the last 16. However, Wenger's men have lost at this stage in each of the last four seasons.

Arsenal's last victory in the round of 16 was against FC Porto (6-2 aggregate) in 2009/10, since when they have suffered elimination against FC Barcelona (2010/11), AC Milan (2011/12) and FC Bayern München (2012/13 and 2013/14).

Including their play-off tie against Besiktas, Arsenal have earned three wins and one draw at home in this season's competition.

Arsenal's home record against French teams is W5 D3 L2.

Their most recent meetings with Ligue 1 opposition came against Olympique de Marseille in last term's group stage, when they won 2-1 (a) and 2-0 (h).

Wenger has never lost a match back in France with Arsenal. His overall record against clubs from his home country with the Gunners is W10 D4 L2.

Arsenal's record in two-legged ties with French teams is W4 L0.

Monaco

Monaco are eyeing their first Uefa Champions League quarterfinal since 2003/04 – the season they went all the way to the final.

Their most recent round of 16 appearance ended in a 3-0 aggregate defeat by PSV Eindhoven in 2004/05.

Monaco took four points on their travels in the group stage, winning 1-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen on matchday five.

Leonardo Jardim's side had the best defence in the group stage, conceding just one goal in six games.

Monaco have only lost once in five previous visits to England – a 2-0 reverse at Liverpool FC in the 2004/05 group stage. In their only past trip to London they drew 2-2 at Chelsea FC to book their place in the 2004 final.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager

I've been manager of Arsenal for 18 years and I'm only focused on qualifying for the quarterfinals. Monaco are a team who got 11 points in the group stage – they scored four goals and conceded one – which means they defend very well. That's certainly what they will try to do as they are also very good on the break, quick in transition.

[Monaco] was the start of my career and I didn't know how long I'd be in the job or where I would end up. It was my first chance at a big club, I was very young and you're always grateful for that. This is the first time they have put a lot of investment into the team again because they were in the second division.

We have been in the Champions League for 17 consecutive years – easy is a word that you have to ban in the Champions League. Every time we have been in there, it was through hard-earned wins. It is always a one-goal difference – you go out for one goal, you stay in for one goal and that means you have to work very hard.

Match facts

Arsenal

Flamini and Nacho Monreal are both a yellow card away from a suspension.

Arsenal have played 14 games in all competitions since matchday six, their record reading:W11 D1 L2.

The Gunners were sixth, 13 points off the pace, at the end of the group stage. Ten weeks on and they are third, 12 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea FC.

January signing Gabriel made his Arsenal debut in the north Londoners' 2-0 FA Cup fifth round victory against Middlesbrough FC on 15 February. Arsenal will visit Manchester United FC in the quarterfinals on 9 March.

Aaron Ramsey was ruled out for around three weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 2-1 defeat of Leicester City FC on 10 February.

On 19 February, Wenger said Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (out since 18 January, groin) is "close" to a return and Jack Wilshere (22 November, ankle ligaments) is "fine"; the latter was on the bench for the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace FC on Saturday. Debuchy (11 January, right shoulder) and Arteta (26 November, ankle and calf) are sidelined.

Héctor Bellerín (ankle) and Flamini (hamstring) had fitness tests in training on Friday; while the former was an unused substitute at Palace, Flamini missed out altogether.

Uefa Champions League squad changes

In: Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin, Gabriel Paulista (Villarreal CF)

Out: Joel Campbell (Villarreal CF, loan), Lukas Podolski (FC Internazionale Milano, loan), Yaya Sanago (Crystal Palace FC, loan)

Monaco

Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Layvin Kurzawa will both incur a suspension with their next booking.

Monaco have played 14 games in all competitions since the end of the group stage, their record reading: W9 D4 L1. They were 1-0 victors at OGC Nice on Friday.

That sole defeat, 1-0 at Uefa Europa League contenders EA Guingamp on 8 February, ended Jardim's team's eight-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1.

Monaco kept a clean sheet in each of those undefeated fixtures. Dorian Lévêque's strike for Guingamp was the first goal conceded by Danijel Subašic in 842 minutes.

Having collected 23 points from their 13 games this season, Monaco have the best away record in Ligue 1. They have won their last four away league matches.

Following a goalless draw, Monaco lost on penalties to SC Bastia in the French League Cup semifinals on 4 February. Former Arsenal defender Sébastien Squillaci, a Uefa Champions League runner-up with Monaco in 2004, converted the winning spot kick.

The principality club are through to the French Cup quarterfinals having eliminated Nîmes Olympique (2-0), Évian Thonon Gaillard FC (2-0) and Stade Rennais FC (3-1) since the turn of the year. Monaco are away to Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight on 4 March.

Wallace and Almamy Touré scored their first goals for Monaco against Rennes.

Lacina Traoré made one appearance – as a substitute in the semifinals against DR Congo – during Ivory Coast's triumphant 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Equatorial Guinea.

Centre-backs Ricardo Carvalho (out since 8 February, calf) and Andrea Raggi (1 February, knee) went off before halftime against Guingamp and Olympique Lyonnais respectively.

Uefa Champions League squad changes

In: Matheus Carvalho (Fluminense FC, loan), Alain Traoré (FC Lorient, loan)

Out: Borja López (RC Deportivo La Coruña, loan), Lucas Ocampos (Olympique de Marseille, loan)

Leonardo Jardim, Monaco coach

A Monaco coach is never looking for problems, he is always trying to find solutions. We have a few players missing from the side that got us here, but it is the boys on the pitch that matter. The most important thing is that we stay faithful to our football philosophy and our defensive quality – we can also attack well and get an important goal here.

Arsenal have developed a lot over the last couple of years and they're a better side than they were two or three years ago. They have had some very strong attacking players come into the squad. We beat them in pre-season but that was just a training game so we can't draw too many conclusions; but we'd take the same result [a 1-0 win]. Arsenal are a lot stronger now, though.

Monaco have never been favourites and we still qualified top of our group. It's the same here: nobody expects us to win but that shouldn't stop us reaching the quarterfinals. Our strategy is to be solid and not allow Arsenal's key attacking players to unbalance us.

Possible line-ups

Arsenal: Ospina; Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Welbeck, Özil, Sánchez; Giroud.

Out: Ramsey (hamstring), Arteta (ankle), Debuchy (shoulder), Gnabry (knee), Diaby (calf), Wilshere (ankle)

Doubtful: Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin)

Monaco: Subašic; Fabinho, Carvalho, Kurzawa, Raggi; Dirar, João Moutinho, Kondogbia, Bernardo Silva; Berbatov, Ferreira-Carrasco.

Out: Toulalan (suspended), Lamina Traoré (leg)

Doubtful: Kurzawa (leg), Ferreira-Carrasco (thigh), Bakayoko (thigh), Carvalho (calf), Raggi (knee)