Barcelona head into the Champions League as the strongest team in European football. AS Monaco have also had a powerful start to the current season, and after their win over AJ Auxerre (3:0), they have gained a crucial confidence boost.
It's worth noting that in the last round, the Russian midfielder made his season debut for Monaco, where his teammates were exceptionally dangerous in attack (2.93 xG and 19 shots). In terms of expected goals, the team ranks second in Ligue 1 (9.68), only behind Paris Saint-Germain (14.00). Coach Adi Hütter has a diverse squad at his disposal, and for their first Champions League match, Monaco will give starting time to the dangerous forward Folarin Balogun.
A series of five wins at the start of La Liga gives Barcelona a slight edge over Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, who are already playing catch-up in September. Over the weekend, against Girona (4:1) in the derby, the team was unstoppable: 2.16 xG and 20 shots (9 on target). Even with Dani Olmo's injury, they have plenty of top-tier forwards — Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha Dias, and Lamine Yamal have combined for 10 goals and 8 assists in La Liga.
A month ago, Barcelona suffered a heavy defeat to AS Monaco in a friendly (0:3). They will be keen to avenge that setback, but their opponents will also bring an attacking threat — we can expect plenty of goals.
