Champions League: Villa Plan to End French Drought to Advance

AS Monaco vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa are a few points away from clinching their spot in the Champions League Round of 16, and they can do it with a victory against AS Monaco at the Louis II Stadium on Tuesday night. The Villans are fifth in the table with 13 points and are in a six-way tie with Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, Brest, and Lille. 

Meanwhile, AS Monaco are 11 notches below Aston Villa with 10 points. Les Rouge et Blanc have fallen off because they’re on a two-game losing streak following a positive start in the competition. Adi Hutter’s side needs this win (arguably more than Aston Villa) to improve their situation.

The pregame SBOTOP betting odds expect a close fight between AS Monaco and Aston Villa, despite their huge gap in the standings. Without further ado, continue reading below for the match preview.

 

Talking Points

AS Monaco without several key players

AS Monaco are not in their best form heading into the Aston Villa match, as they haven’t won a single game this 2025 calendar year. Adi Hutter’s side lost 1-0 to PSG in the Trophee des Champions final, and it was followed by a 2-2 draw against Nantes and losses against Reims in the French Cup Round of 32 and Montpellier back in Ligue 1 (2-1).

Les Rouge et Blanc are stuttering because they’re missing a host of key players. Folarin Balogun has been out since October due to a dislocated shoulder. George Ilenikhena is dealing with an adductor injury. Wilfried Singo (back) and Denis Zakaria (illness) were most recently left out of the matchday squad against Montpellier yesterday.

Singo and Zakaria are expected to return against Aston Villa since their cases are minor (compared to Balogun and Ilenikhena). Thilo Kehrer and Soungoutou Magassa will get more playing time if Singo and Zakaria aren’t fit by Tuesday.

Eliesse Ben Seghir and Maghnes Akliouche are AS Monaco’s top attacking threats, as they lead the team in scoring with seven league goals and seven assists combined.

 

Aston Villa’s depth will be tested

Aston Villa are also dealing with a host of injuries, and it doesn’t help they only have three days to prepare against AS Monaco after their Premier League match against Arsenal. Diego Carlos, John McGinn, Ross Barkley, and Pau Torres are not available against the Gunners, and Unai Emery hopes they’re fit against their Ligue 1 counterparts.

Unlike AS Monaco, Aston Villa are unbeaten in the first three games to kick off 2025. The Villans beat Leicester City (2-1) and Everton (1-0) in the Premier League, and they’re through to the FA Cup fourth round after eliminating West Ham United (2-1) last Saturday.

Ollie Watkins returned to the scoresheet by scoring the matchwinner against the Toffees, and he will be on top of AS Monaco’s scouting report. The Englishman already has nine league goals and five assists this season.If Watkins doesn’t click, Emery can always call on Jhon Duran off the bench. The Colombian striker is the Villan’s second-leading scorer with seven league goals.

 

History

Tuesday marks the first encounter between AS Monaco and Aston Villa. It is worth noting that Aston Villa are winless in their four away matches against French opposition in Europe (D2, L2), with the most recent one being a 2-1 loss against Lille in last season’s Europa Conference League quarter-finals (second leg). AS Monaco have won four of their last five home games against English teams in the Champions League (L1).

However, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has beaten AS Monaco in the last six matches across all competitions when he was still the head coach of PSG (aggregate tally of 23-4). Emery’s last game against Les Rouge et Blanc was a 7-1 result in Ligue 1 in April 2018.  

 

Betting Tip

As mentioned, the Champions League 2025 odds predict an all-out battle between AS Monaco and Aston Villa. Because they’re playing at home, AS Monaco have a slight advantage at 2.21 odds, but Aston Villa aren’t far behind at 2.90, and a draw is at 3.27 in the 1X2 market.

Both teams can generate new Champions League 2025 highlights, hence our recommended bet above. Bettors can also go for alternatives like Over 2.50 at 1.73 and Over 2.75 at 1.94 to add to their parlay.

But, if you disagree with the theme of a relatively high-scoring game, check out the Correct Score of 0-0 given its robust 13.50 offer. Moreover, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of AS Monaco and Aston Villa are pegged at 9.00 and 11.00, respectively.

   

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