Arsenal vs Monaco Prediction: Visitors can damage injury-ravaged Gunners defence

Two sides separated only by goal difference in the league phase table of the 2024/25 Uefa Champions League meet in north London on Wednesday (20:00, TNT Sports 1), as Arsenal host AS Monaco at the Emirates Stadium. Both clubs have collected 10 points from their opening five games but experienced contrasting results last time out in the competition, with the Gunners thrashing Sporting 5-1 in Lisbon and Les Rouge et Blanc suffering a 3-2 defeat at home against Benfica.

Below you can find my Arsenal vs Monaco prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Arsenal duo Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are definitely ruled out of Wednesday's contest due to injury but fellow defenders Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who all missed Sunday's 1-1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage, all have chances - if only slight - of making the midweek meeting with Monaco.

Neither Thomas Partey nor Jurrien Timber trained on Tuesday, creating further defensive problems, so either Josh Robinson or Josh Nichols could be promoted from the Under-21s to start at right-back.

Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus all came off the bench in west London on the weekend and the trio are in contention to begin Wednesday's game.

Football Odds

Former Gunner Folarin Balogun is set to miss out on an Emirates reunion due to an injury that sidelined him for Saturday's 2-0 win over Toulouse. Krepin Diatta and Edan Diop are also in the treatment room while Christian Mawissa Elebi and Wilfriend Singo miss out due to an accumulation of yellow cards and a red card against Benfica, respectively.

Arsenal vs Monaco Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Arsenal vs Monaco page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Arsenal are 2/7 favourites to maintain their 100 per cent European record at the Emirates this season having already beaten Paris Saint-Germain (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) on home soil. The Gunners are given a 77.8% chance of collecting all three points against Monaco, who are 10/1 (9.1% win probability) to back up a 1-0 victory over Bologna in Italy in their last competition away outing with another success on their travels.

The draw is priced at 9/2, both teams to score at 1/1, and over 2.5 total goals, which has landed in four of Monaco's last five matches, at 4/7.

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (5/4) heads the anytime goalscorer market, followed by Kai Havertz (11/8) and Gabriel Jesus (6/4).

Both Teams to Score - Yes @ 1/1

I'm not usually very keen on backing both teams to score when Arsenal play and for good reason, with only Everton (39%) recording a lower BTTS percentage in last season's Premier League than the Gunners (42 per cent), who saw 22 of their league games finish without at least on goal on either side.

Already, things are looking a bit different this season, with both teams finding the net in 53 per cent (eight) of Arsenal's 15 top-flight fixtures so far. That hasn't translated itself to the Champions League, where BTTS - Yes failed to land in their first four league phase matches, only cropping up for the first time last time out in the competition as they smashed Sporting 5-1 in Lisbon.

However, on Wednesday, Arteta's side will face a Monaco team that has been scoring for fun in Europe, while also leaking plenty of goals at the back.

Both teams to score has landed in 80 per cent (four) of the French club's first five league phase games, with Monaco striking 12 times and conceding seven goals.

BTTS - Yes has been a winner more often than not in Ligue 1, too, with 57 per cent (eight) of Monaco's first 14 outings in the French top flight finishing with at least one goal on either side, and that figure is helped by it landing in 67 per cent of their away contests.

Arsenal have shown a vulnerability in defence that wasn't present last season and have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight games in all competitions, while both teams have scored in four of their last six matches (four in five for Monaco).

It could be a case of square pegs in round holes in defence for Wednesday's hosts, and that should instil some confidence into the visitors who have scored in every league phase game so far, including two against Barcelona.

Player to Receive a Card - Breel Embolo (ASM) @ 9/2

I think we're getting terrific value at 9/2 for Monaco's main man up top, Breel Embolo, to receive a card on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old has started all five of his side's league phase matches so far, scoring once and registering two assists, so should get the nod from the off at the Emirates and play at least an hour in north London.

He's certainly been a physical presence for Monaco in the Champions League, averaging 1.4 fouls per game but also being fouled on average twice per game. Embolo has received one yellow card in this season's competition - away in Zagreb on October 2 when he was booked in the 28th minute and withdrawn at half-time.

The Switzerland international has been cautioned twice in Ligue 1 this term and the latest of those yellows arrived against Toulouse last Saturday, just six minutes after his 63rd-minute introduction as a second-half substitute. He would later go on to score Monaco's second and clinch the victory for the principality club.

Embolo has also been in the wars for his country over the last few months, receiving two yellows in five Uefa Nations League appearances for Switzerland.

I can see the FC Basel Academy graduate trying to ruffle some feathers on Wednesday, particularly those of Arsenal centre-back William Saliba, who has been fouled 0.8 times per game on average in the league phase.

Offers

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