Big Match Feature: Monaco v Arsenal

Form guide (all competitions)

Monaco: WWDLWW

Arsenal: WLWWWW

Arsene Wenger returns to the scene of his first managerial triumphs when he takes Arsenal to Monaco needing a Uefa Champions League comeback of unprecedented proportions.

Beaten 3-1 in north London, Arsenal must do what no other side has managed in the Uefa Champions League era: win having gone into an away tie needing to score more than once to avoid elimination. The game on 25 February was the third year running Arsenal had lost the home first leg in the round of 16 by a two-goal margin.

Teams have come back from a home first-leg loss only twice in the Uefa Champions League, and both were beaten 1-0 first time out: AFC Ajax (v Panathinaikos FC, 1995/96 semifinals, 3-0 second leg) and FC Internazionale Milano (v FC Bayern München, 2010/11 round of 16, 3-2 away).

Wenger was Monaco manager for seven years (1987–94) before leaving for Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan.

Competing in the knockout stage for the first time in a decade, Monaco reached the last 16 as winners of Group C – though their 11-point total was actually two fewer than Arsenal managed in finishing Group D runners-up behind Borussia Dortmund.

Previous Meetings

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

The starting line-ups that day 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

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.

Leonardo Jardim's side did not concede a goal in three home games in the group stage, winning two of them. They had the best defensive record overall in the group stage, conceding just once.

Monaco are unbeaten in eight European games at Stade Louis II, since a 2-0 loss to PSV Eindhovenin March 2005. They have not been defeated at home by a margin that would knock them out since a 3-0 loss to another English club, Leeds United AFC, on 12 September 1995 – 40 games ago.

Monaco have not hosted English opposition since 2004, when they beat Chelsea FC 3-1 at the Stade Louis II in the 2003/04 semifinals in April, and then overcame Liverpool FC 1-0 in the following season's group stage.

Their overall home record against English clubs is W3 D1 L1.

When winning the away first leg in Uefa competition, Monaco's aggregate record is W9 L0. That includes two ties where the first-leg score was 3-1 in their favour, both in the Uefa Cup first round: against LKS Lódz in 1998/99 (second leg 0-0) and Roda JC in 1990/91 (second leg 3-1).

Monaco's shoot-out record in Uefa competition is W1 L0:

3-1 v Real Valladolid CF, 1989/90 European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal

Arsenal

This is Arsenal's 15th consecutive appearance in the last 16. However, Wenger's men 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 Bayern (2012/13 and 2013/14).

Play-offs included, Arsenal have won six and lost only two of their last ten away fixtures in the Uefa Champions League, although only two of those victories have come by a margin that would keep them in the competition.

Arsenal have never lost in France, where their record reads W7 D3 L0.

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's record against clubs from his home country with the Gunners is W10 D4 L2.

Arsenal have a 100percent record (W4 L0) in two-legged ties against French teams.

Arsenal, however, have never overturned a home first-leg defeat in European competition. Aside from their defeats by Bayern in each of the last two seasons, they have lost only one other such match, against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1996/97 Uefa Cup first round, and went down by the same 3-2 scoreline away from home.

Arsenal's shoot-out record is W2 L2:

7-6 v AS Roma, 2008/09 Uefa Champions League round of 16

1-4 v Galatasaray AS, 1999/2000 Uefa Cup final

3-2 v UC Sampdoria, 1994/95 European Cup Winners' Cup semifinal

4-5 v Valencia CF, 1979/80 European Cup Winners' Cup final

Match Facts

Monaco

Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, Moutinho and Layvin Kurzawa will all incur a suspension with their next bookings. Toulalan is available after serving a one-match ban in the first leg.

Monaco have lost two of their last 22 games in all competitions in regulation time, conceding just seven goals over that spell.

Jardim's team are 16 matches unbeaten at home, since a 1-0 defeat by OGC Nice on 27 September; this does not include their penalty shoot-out loss to SC Bastia in the League Cup semifinal on 4 February.

Carvalho returned after six games out with a calf injury as Monaco won 3-0 at home to SC Bastia on Friday. The hosts also missed a penalty against a side that did not have a shot on target and ended with nine men. Matheus Carvalho scored his first goal for the club.

Monaco suffered a 2-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on 4 March in the Coupe de France quarterfinals, a month after losing on penalties to Bastia in the French League Cup semifinals.

Monaco have not lost at home by a scoreline that would force even extra time in this tie since September 2011, when they went down 3-1 to Angers SCO in Ligue 2.

Aymen Abdennour agreed a one-year contract extension on 6 March, binding him to the club until 2019.

Andrea Raggi (1 February, knee) and Tiémoué Bakayoko (14 January, hamstring) are both out.

Lacina Traoré has been out since 23 February with a shin stress fracture.

Arsenal

Flamini, Nacho Monreal and Özil are all a yellow card away from a suspension.

Arsenal have gone 17 games without a draw, winning 14 and losing three.

The Gunners have won nine games this season by a scoreline that would take them through against Monaco, including on Saturday when they made it five league wins in a row with a 3-0 victory over West Ham United FC. Wenger's men have scored three or more in 11 of their 44 outings.

Mathieu Flamini scored his first goal in nearly 12 months against West Ham on his return after six games out with a hamstring problem.

Giroud has scored six goals in his last seven games.

Alexis Sánchez has scored just once in his last ten appearances – his worst spell since arriving in north London.

Welbeck marked his return to Old Trafford with the winning goal on 9 March as holders Arsenal beat Manchester United FC 2-1 to advance in the FA Cup. They will face either Reading FC or Bradford City AFC in the semifinals at Wembley on 18 or 19 April.

Monreal opened the scoring with only his second goal in 76 appearances for Arsenal at Old Trafford as Aaron Ramsey returned after three weeks out with a hamstring injury.

Jack Wilshere (22 November, ankle ligaments), Debuchy (11 January, right shoulder) and Arteta (26 November, ankle and calf) have all been out.

Leonardo Jardim, Monaco coach

We approach this game in the same manner as ever. We are not thinking about the result; we just want to play and produce some good football. Arsenal did not take us lightly in the first leg, it's just that we had the perfect game. We are at halftime in the tie. We are two goals up but this game will be the most difficult of our season so far.

When you are up against a team like Arsenal, you must stay focused. We have changed our defensive system a few times but we have always performed on the pitch. That is one of our strengths.

Everybody wants to go far in the Champions League. We started slowly in the league and we have always been more consistent in the Champions League. Against English teams, PSG and Monaco are showing that we can produce real quality.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager

Monaco are in a very strong position but we have experience and the desire and belief that we can do it. So we are here to do it. We will have to play on full power, focusing on our offensive and defensive games. The desire is there.

I am confident. The odds are stacked against us, but we will give absolutely everything to turn the tie around. We will show a different face. In the first leg we failed, which was surprising given our form. We have a second chance and we will exploit it.

It is a special moment for me but experience allows me to manage the pressure. We must have a great game, do our best and give our all. If we did not believe in ourselves we would not have turned up.

Possible Line-ups

Monaco: Subašic; Touré, Carvalho, Abdennour, Kurzawa; Moutinho, Fabinho, Toulalan, Kondogbia; Dirar, Berbatov.

Out: Bakayoko (hamstring), Lacina Traoré (broken leg), Raggi (knee)

Doubtful: Ferreira-Carrasco (ankle), Kondogbia (thigh), Toulalan (thigh)

Arsenal: Ospina; Bellerín, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Walcott, Özil, Sánchez; Giroud

Out: Arteta (ankle), Debuchy (shoulder), Diaby (calf), Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring), Rosický (illness)

Doubtful: Gabriel (hamstring), Wilshere (ankle)