Having handed Paris Saint-Germain their heaviest defeat of the season before the international break, Monaco return to Ligue 1 action with a trip to lowly Metz at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Sunday afternoon.
Philippe Clement's side put three unanswered goals past PSG last time out, while their upcoming hosts were on the wrong end of a 6-1 thumping against a rampant Rennes.
Match preview
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When it rains it pours for Les Grenats, whose Ligue 1 destiny is out of their own hands as manager Frederic Antonetti continues to serve his lengthy touchline ban, and they did their survival prospects no favours at all during their trip to Rennes two weekends ago.
Metz had already conceded five to Les Rouge et Noir before the hour mark - two for Serhou Guirassy, two for Martin Terrier and one for captain Hamari Traore - and Guirassy completed his hat-trick not long before Louis Mafouta netted a late consolation for the hapless Grenats.
While a 2-0 friendly win over Wehen Wiesbaden over the international period led to muted cheers within the fanbase, their 19th-placed standing in the table is growing more concerning by the week, and they could find themselves bottom of the pile by Sunday if Bordeaux somehow get the better of Lille 24 hours beforehand.
Relegation playoff spot occupiers Saint-Etienne can also move seven clear of Metz with victory over Marseille on Saturday, with the eight-game winless streak Antonetti's side have strung together not looking like ending anytime soon, although Mafouta's late tap-in versus Rennes did at least end a four-game run without a goal for Metz.
However, Mafouta's effort is only one of two goals Metz have scored in their last 720 minutes of top-flight action, and a paltry record of just one win from their last 22 Ligue 1 games at the Stade Saint-Symphorien is not a recipe for success versus a confidence-boosted Monaco.
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Just when discontent was starting to appear at the Stade Louis II, Clement's Monaco produced one of their finest performances in recent memory to sweep aside title-chasing PSG and make a statement of intent following their Europa League exit.
Ligue 1 top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder netted his 16th and 17th top-flight goals of the season - a deft flick and a somewhat fortunate penalty which squirmed underneath Gianluigi Donnarumma's grasp - and his two goals came either side of Kevin Volland's calm finish in a Principality romping.
After winning just one of their previous eight encounters before that 3-0 win and seeing their run in the Europa League come to an end at the hands of Braga, Les Monegasques truly needed that pick-me-up and remain in European contention - currently seventh in the table and four points behind Strasbourg in the final continental spot.
Monaco have not flattered to deceive in front of their own fans this term, but fixing a worrying streak of away form - two wins from their last 10 league games on the road - is next on the agenda for Clermont, who will probably feel that the international break came at the worst possible time for his side.
Les Monegasques needed no second invitation to thrash Metz 4-0 during the sides' first meeting of the season back in December, which was the visitors' fourth successive win over Les Grenats in all tournaments since a surprising 3-0 loss at the Stade Saint-Symphorien in August 2019.
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Team News
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Metz midfielder Vincent Pajot will serve the fourth and final game of his lengthy suspension on Sunday, while Kiki Kouyate is also on the naughty step for an accumulation of yellow cards alongside manager Antonetti.
Sikou Niakate ought to deputise for the banned Kouyate, and Metz's injury problems have not let up either, with Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik, Thomas Delaine, Matthieu Udol, Habib Maiga, Boubacar Traore and Fabien Centonze all in the infirmary.
Striker Ibrahima Niane has not been the same player since his long-term injury, and it would not be surprising to see Mafouta given the chance to lead the line as Metz's only source of goals in the past few weeks.
By contrast, Monaco have far fewer concerns to work around for Sunday's game, with long-term absentees Cesc Fabregas and Krepin Diatta the only injury worries for Clement at the time of writing.
Vanderson missed the win over PSG after testing positive for coronavirus but ought to be fit enough to return here, although Ruben Aguilar will have no intention of ceding his right-back spot.
Volland's goal as a substitute has given Clement food for thought in the final third, but the Monegasques coach will surely stick with the same starting XI from that phenomenal win last time out.
Metz possible starting lineup:
Caillard; Niakite, Bronn, Jemerson; Mikelbrencis, Sarr, N'Doram, Cande; Boulaya; De Preville, Mafouta
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Aguilar, Disasi, Badiashile, Henrique; Lucas, Tchouameni, Fofana; Martins, Ben Yedder, Golovin
We say: Metz 0-3 Monaco
A chance to recharge the batteries and assess his side's dire situation would have been welcomed by Antonetti during the international period, but a two-week break is highly unlikely to lead to an immediate change in fortunes for this shot-shy outfit.
Keen to pick up where they left off, Monaco entered the international break on a high and will sense an opportunity to boost their European charge against one of the league's out-of-form sides, and we expect them to do just that.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Monaco win with a probability of 51.26%. A draw had a probability of 25.3% and a win for Metz had a probability of 23.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Monaco win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.37%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.71%) and 1-2 (9.43%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.01%), while for a Metz win it was 1-0 (7.66%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Monaco would win this match.
