Monaco vs Aston Villa: betting odds 21 Jan 2025

The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Monaco (France) and Aston Villa (England) will take place on January 21 at the Louis II Stadium in Fontvieille. Monaco vs. Aston Villa: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

Matches – 7 (International matches, 2024/25);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 26;

Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;

Red cards shown – 0;

Average fouls per match – 23;

Penalties – 14%.

Predicted lineups for Monaco vs. Aston Villa

Monaco (4-2-3-1): Radoslaw Majecki – Vanderson, Thilo Kehrer, Wilfried Singo, Caio Henrique – Denis Zakaria, Lamine Camara – Takumi Minamino, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Aleksandr Golovin – Breel Embolo.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez – Lucas Digne, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings – Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara – Ross Barkley, John McGinn, Leon Bailey – Ollie Watkins.

Monaco

The Monegasques started well in the Champions League group stage, winning three and drawing one in their first four matches. However, the French club lost their last two matches, falling to Benfica at home (2-3) and to Arsenal away (0-3). As a result, Adi Hütter's side has slipped to 16th place in the standings, with only a three-point gap from the 25th position. Notably, before the defeat to the Gunners, the team had not suffered a heavy defeat in the Champions League for six years.

Forward Folarin Balogun and midfielder Krépin Diatta are sidelined due to injuries.

• At least three goals have been scored in regular time in 6 of Monaco's last 7 matches in this European competition.
• Both teams have scored in 7 of the last 9 matches for the French side in the Champions League.
• The Monegasques have not won the first half in 11 of their last 13 home matches in this tournament (3 draws and 8 losses).

Aston Villa

The Birmingham side secured a crucial victory in the last round, defeating Leipzig away with a score of 3-2. Prior to this, the English team had failed to score in two consecutive Champions League matches, losing to Club Brugge away (0-1) and drawing with Juventus (0-0). The victory over the Germans allowed them to maintain a place in the top eight. A win in the upcoming match will guarantee them a spot in the Champions League playoffs. It's also worth noting the defense under Unai Emery, which has conceded only 3 goals (only three teams have a better defense in the group stage).

Defender Diego Carlos will miss the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Midfielders Ross Barkley and John McGinn, as well as defender Pau Torres, are out due to injuries.

• At least one team has failed to score in 5 of Aston Villa's last 6 matches in this European competition.
• No more than three goals have been scored in 5 of Aston Villa's last 6 Champions League matches.
• All of the last five matches for the English side in this tournament have ended in a first-half draw.

Monaco vs. Aston Villa: Match Prediction

The hosts will reduce their chances of advancing to the next round of the Champions League if they drop points. I suspect this will happen, as Monaco has only managed one victory against a worthy opponent in the group stage, defeating Barcelona at the start of the tournament. The Monegasques lack stability in the elite European competition and rarely defeat opponents from Europe's top leagues. Notably, in their last 26 Champions League matches, Monaco has only won five times in regular time (7 draws and 14 losses).

Aston Villa has only faltered once in the Champions League – against Club Brugge. The English side has already demonstrated their strength against top clubs: drawing with Juventus and securing victories over Bayern Munich and Leipzig. I'm confident that Unai Emery's team can take points from Louis II, as the visitors can afford to play defensively with an eye on a draw, unlike the hosts, who cannot afford a compromise result since they face Inter in the final round. The rush and the desire to secure 3 points at all costs will work against the French side. I'm confident the Birmingham side will catch them on the counterattacks.

My prediction: Aston Villa to win or draw