Two sides who are separated by just two points in the table will battle it out in this Ligue 1 clash as Montpellier welcome Monaco to the Mosson Stadium this Sunday afternoon as the home side look to break the gap on the top six as Monaco aim for a return to the top four.
It’s been an incredibly competitive season in Ligue 1 this as the European spots up for grabs in the table have changed near enough by the week as Starsbourg have managed to break into the top four after being 10th just before 2022 arrived, while the likes of Lens and champions Lille are continuing to make their way up the table in January.
"Bien joué les Verts" 💬 @gmaripan3 pic.twitter.com/Sr9KuNyXyv— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 20, 2022
"Bien joué les Verts" 💬 @gmaripan3 pic.twitter.com/Sr9KuNyXyv
To put in perspective just how tense this race for Europe is, even Lyon down in 11th are just seven points off of fourth with Monaco and Montpellier sat right in the middle of this and the bottom 10.
Currently, La Paillade are sitting in ninth with nine wins and eight losses thus far, but with their 34 goals scored, only Lens have scored more goals for those sitting outside of the top five.
Montpellier could in fact leapfrog Monaco here if they can win 4-0, but other than that scoreline or more, they will remain below them in the table even with a win.
The club are also coming off the back of two defeats on the bounce as they lost to Strasbourg and Troyes in the league just as they looked to be getting back into the top three. Tedy Savanier was also sent off against Troyes, and he now consequently misses this game.
Monaco, on the other hand, are still fighting on fronts as they have eased into the round of 16 in the French Cup, just as they are now unbeaten in their past two games in Ligue 1 since losing to Paris Saint-Germain.
Monaco would draw with Nantes, but win a crucial game against Rennes just beforehand, while they eased past Clermont Foot 4-0 in league too.
Such a high-scoring clash has put Monaco on 33 goals scored and 23 conceded in the league and it puts them with the best goals difference record in the league for those outside of the European spots.
It’s set to be a close game with only three points separating them in the league, just as the two are not shy of a goal or two either. With this in mind Forebet predicts a game of under 2.5 goals here and for a draw to take place.