2025-26 UEFA Champions League: League Phase – Monaco vs Man City

Monaco host Manchester City in a league phase clash in 2025-26 UEFA Champions League. 

Victory will see Monaco climb into the knockout play-off placings, whilst Man City will stay in the top nine with a win.

 

Team News

Monaco have no fresh injury concerns to report following their Ligue 1 defeat at Lorient, although Thilo Kehrer is available as his red card in that game means that he is only suspended for their next domestic match.

Lamine Camara (ankle), Aleksandr Golovin (hamstring), Lukas Hradecky (knee), Paul Pogba (fitness) and Denis Zakaria (groin)

Man City could be without Rodri after he missed their 5-1 Premier League win over Burnley due to a knee injury.

Rayan Cherki (hamstring), Omar Marmoush (knee), Rayan Ait-Nouri and Abdukodir Khusanov (both ankle) are still ruled out.

 

When is Kick-Off?

Monaco host Man City at Stade Louis II on Wednesday 1 October at 9pm CEST (8pm BST), live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK.

 

Stat Attack

• Monaco have won one of two previous Champions League meetings against Man City (W1, L1).
• Man City lost 3-1 in their only previous competitive visit to Monaco in March 2017 (L1), which saw them eliminated from Round of 16 phase on away goals after 6-6 aggregate draw.
• This is Monaco’s first league phase meeting against Man City in the Champions League.
• Just two of Ansu Fati’s six goals in all competitions for Monaco this season were scored at home.
• Erling Haaland has scored four goals in his three away appearances for Man City in all competitions this season.

 

Prediction

Having suffered a difficult 4-1 loss at Club Brugge in their league phase opener reflective of their overall struggles on the road this season, Monaco will be glad that this game is at home where they seem comfortable in terms of scoring and wins despite no clean sheets.

Man City meanwhile have begun to find their peak form of old in recent weeks and confidence will be high after a second-half demolition of Burnley, who gave Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens a fierce fight for the opening hour before City’s quality told.

Goals therefore do feel very likely and with Haaland in hot form on the road, I do think that this could be quite a high-scoring game and a draw might not be the worst result for both teams.

Prediction: Monaco 2-2 Man City

Result: Monaco 2-2 Man City