Manchester United may have the bigger reputation whilst Bayer Leverkusen may be an exciting young team but Valencia was probably the toughest draw that Monaco could have received in the Champions League play-off draw. Much like les Monegasques, the Spanish side has benefited greatly from recent investment and there are a number of parallels that can be drawn between the approaches of the two clubs.
Los Che have a clear preference for buying younger players, with the aim of eventually selling them on for a higher price. Valencia have been doing it for a bit longer than their French counterparts thanks to the coffers and connections of Singaporean businessman, Peter Lim, which has helped them construct a very impressive squad. Last season they re-instated themselves as one of “the best of the rest” in Spain by finishing fourth.
The most obvious threat for Monaco is going to be the speed and pace with which Valencia attack, due to the talents of Paco Alcacer, Sofiane Feghouli, Rodrigo and Pablo Piatti. That quartet are all quick, tricky players and whoever starts is going to pose real problems for Leonardo Jardim’s defence.
Ricardo Carvalho isn’t getting any younger and his aging legs against Alcacer could be a real concern. The Spanish international will definitely try to run at the veteran centre-back and one mistake could end up being crucial whether that leads to a card, a chance or even a goal. There will be a lot of pressure on the hardly young Andrea Raggi should he start alongside Carvalho.
The other problem for Monaco defensively will be the injury picked up by Layvin Kurzawa during the draw with Lille on Friday night. Monaco may still lose the Frenchman this window but his absence against Valencia is going to be sorely felt. It’s more offensively where he’ll be missed because he could have put real pressure on the young right-back Joao Cancelo.
Of course the other injury Monaco suffered against Lille was Joao Moutinho, with the Portuguese midfielder ruled out for four to six weeks. It was already going to be a challenge to cope with Dani Parejo and Enzo Perez, but not having Moutinho will be a real blow. It’s not that Monaco don’t have adequate replacements, it’s just that following so many high profile departures Moutinho’s experience would be crucial. Perez and Parejo have both been here before, they know how to control games. How Jeremy Toulalon plays will have a big say in how the match ends up going.
Monaco announced their 20-man squad on Tuesday morning – confirming the absence of Kurzawa, Moutinho and Tunisian defender Aymen Abdennour:
Goalkeepers
Danijel SUBASIC (n°1) – Paul NARDI (n°16) – Loïc BADIASHILE (n°50)
Defenders
Ricardo CARVALHO (n°6) – FABINHO (n°2) – ELDERSON (n°21) – Andrea RAGGI (n°24) – Almany TOURE (n°38) – WALLACE (n°13)
Midfielders
Tiemoué BAKAYOKO (n°14) – Nabil DIRAR (n°7) – Mario PASALIC (n°20) – Bernardo SILVA (n°10) – Jérémy TOULALAN (n°28) – Adama TRAORÉ (n°23)
Attackers
Fares BAHLOULI (n°12) – Ivan CAVALEIRO (n°17) – Guido CARRILLO (n°11) – Stephan EL SHAARAWY (n°22) – Anthony MARTIAL (n°9)
One big plus for Monaco is that Nicolas Otamendi has asked to be left out of the game as he pushes for a transfer, a move that could be confirmed before the game. That will leave probably the young Ruben Vezo at centre-back alongside Shkodran Mustafi. This is the perfect opportunity for either Anthony Martial or Guido Carrillo. There are suggestions that Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala could come in as part of Otamendi’s departure, but it seems unlikely he’ll be registered in time.
Nevertheless Valencia are going to be a real test for Monaco and their defensive ability is going to be questioned time and time again. Last season it got them into the knockout stages of the Champions League and they will need every player to be at his very best. Valencia are quick, direct and well organised defensively. Moutinho and Kurzawa will be huge losses and how they cope with the front trident of Valencia will be crucial.