Monaco vs Strasbourg

Monaco’s home campaign in the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season gets underway this weekend as resurgent Strasbourg arrive at the Stade Louis II.

New Monaco boss Adi Hutter enjoyed a dream Ligue 1 debut as his side came from behind to topple Le Havre 4-2 on the opening weekend despite falling behind within the first seven minutes. Hutter’s impressive touchline debut helped ‘Les Monégasques’ return to winning ways after finishing last season with three consecutive league defeats. Hutter’s next assignment is to inspire Monaco to a two-game winning start to a new Ligue 1 campaign for the first time since 2017/18 when they finished runners-up to perennial champions PSG. Strasbourg’s visit to the French principality bodes well, as Monaco completed a league double against this opposition last season despite conceding in both H2Hs. Adding to the hosts’ confidence, they’re unbeaten in their three most recent home league meetings with Strasbourg (W2, D1).

Meanwhile, visiting Strasbourg upset the odds on the opening weekend with a 2-1 home win over a more heavily fancied Lyon as new boss Patrick Vieira delivered on his managerial debut. ‘Le Racing’ finished only five points clear of the drop zone in 2022/23, but if Vieira’s early reign is anything to go by, they should challenge higher up the table this term. Before beating Lyon on the opening weekend, the Arsenal legend inspired Strasbourg to a five-game unbeaten run in pre-season (W2, D3). But Vieira’s real test is to reignite his side’s away form. The visitors only won four of their 19 league games on hostile turf last season (D6, L9), conceding an average of 1.73 goals per game. Since their two most recent away league wins yielded an identical 2-0 scoreline, flying out of the traps could be crucial.