Monaco v Barcelona: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Barcelona begin their quest for a sixth UEFA Champions League title with a tough trip to Monaco on Thursday.

The Blaugrana have won all five of their La Liga matches under new boss Hansi Flick, beating Girona 4-1 on Sunday and, despite a slew of injuries, appear to be on the up after a tumultuous last year or so.

Barca reached the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals and open their new European campaign against another Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.

Les Rouge et Blanc beat Auxerre 3-0 on Sunday to maintain their strong start to the season and return to this competition proper for the first time since 2018/19.

Home boss Adi Hutter has several exciting stars to call upon and will expect his side to test their rivals.

Monaco v Barcelona betting tips and predictions

Barcelona to win and both teams to score - 2/1

Barcelona have made a dream start to the new La Liga season, winning five from five and exhibiting far more flair than at any time under former boss Xavi.

They are still far from the finished article, though, conceding in four of their five games and were also woeful in their 3-0 pre-season defeat to Thursday's opponents in the Trofeo Joan Gamper.

That result is forgivable, considering the Blaugrana were without several of their stars due to injury and a lack of fitness following the Euros, and are still without some key figures, with Dani Olmo the latest sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Monaco have taken 10 points from the 12 available in Ligue 1 and can cause them problems, with Swiss duo Breel Embolo and Denis Zakaria always looking to play on the front foot.

Meanwhile, enigmatic playmakers Eliesse Ben Seghir, Maghnes Akliouche and Aleksandr Golovin possess the ability to unlock defences.

Still, there appears to be more steel about Barcelona under Flick and they can begin their quest for a sixth Trophy with a win.

Robert Lewandowski anytime scorer - 1/1

Robert Lewandowski has already netted four times this season and looks rejuvenated after another disappointing summer playing for Poland at the Euros.

Playing under his former Bayern Munich coach, Flick, is clearly getting the best out of the 36-year-old and he will expect to improve on last season's relatively meagre tally of three UEFA Champions League goals.

That took his overall total in the competition to 94 and, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi no longer playing in Europe, Lewandowski is the UEFA Champions League's highest scorer still active in the competition.

He missed out on the scoresheet against Girona, yet provided an assist, and could find the net at Stade Louis II. 

Pau Cubarsi to be booked - 21/10

While Lewandowski is heading towards the horizon in his career, team-mate Pau Cubarsi is very much at the start of his journey.

He broke through last term and, with injuries to Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, is fully entrenched in the Barcelona back-line.

Cubarsi's composure and reading of the game have seen him compared to some of the great Barca defenders of the past but with youth often comes impatience and he retains a habit for rash challenges.

The 17-year-old has already been booked twice this season and also picked up a caution in last season's quarter-final first-leg win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Embolo's pace and movement makes him the type of striker who knows how to get the wrong side of defenders and a caution could be heading the Barcelona defender's way.

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Monaco v Barcelona odds

Monaco - 16/5
Draw - 3/1
Barcelona - 3/4

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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