This Tuesday, February 17th, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd in Ligue 1) faces AS Monaco (8th) at the Stade Louis II (kick-off at 9 pm, CET) in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League playoff (second leg on Wednesday, February 25th). And as before every match, here is a preview of PSG’s opponent.
Monaco’s situation –
For a while in the 2010s, Monaco’s project seemed to follow PSG’s, but then the focus shifted to selling players for profit rather than building the best possible team. This led to many changes each year and some challenging periods.
There was hope for stability with the arrival of coach Adi Hütter in July 2023 and a well-planned transfer window, but the crisis returned at the end of summer 2025 with disappointing results considering the objectives. The German was replaced in October by Sébastien Pocognoli (who distinguished himself at Union Saint-Gilloise).
The Belgian initially brought some interesting elements, but inconsistency persists, and there still seems to be a lot of work to be done. The Monaco club is currently 8th in Ligue 1, eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France by Strasbourg, and therefore in the Champions League playoffs.
Summer Transfer Window 2025 –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
Winter Transfer Window 2025-2026 –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals:
Key Statistics –
This season in the group stage, Monaco is among the top 30 attacks in the Champions League with 8 goals scored (the top team, Arsenal, has 23, and the bottom teams, Villarreal and Slavia Prague, have 5), and is among the top 17 defenses with 14 goals conceded (Arsenal has the best defense with 4 goals conceded, the bottom team, Kairat Almaty, has 22).
Monaco’s top scorer is Folarin Balogun (24-year-old forward), with 3 goals, ranking 29th in the Champions League (the top scorer is Kylian Mbappé with 13 goals). Magnes Akliouche (30-year-old midfielder) is the club’s top assist provider with 2 assists, ranking 47th in the Champions League (the top assist provider is Vinicius Junior with 5 assists).
Monaco’s Champions League matches –
Only Monaco’s possession is shown, and Monaco’s shots are listed first (when data is available).
September 18, 2025 – Club Brugge/Monaco: 4-1. 4-4-2 formation. 52% possession. 12 shots, 5 on target, compared to 21 shots (9 on target).
October 1, 2025 – Monaco/Manchester City: 2-2. 3-4-3 formation. 33% possession. 10 shots, 7 on target, compared to 18 shots (7 on target).
October 22, 2025 – Monaco/Tottenham: 0-0. 3-4-2-1 formation. 56% possession. 21 shots, 9 on target, compared to 10 shots (4 on target).
04/11/2025 – Bodo/Glimt (at 10 in the 82nd minute, 0-1)/Monaco: 0-1. In 3-4-2-1. 37% possession. 10 shots including 3 on target versus 14 shots (5 on target).
26/11/2025 – Paphos/Monaco: 2-2. In 3-4-2-1. 51% possession. 15 shots including 7 on target against 12 shots (3 on target).
09/12/2025 – Monaco/Galatasaray: 1-0. In 4-2-3-1. 42% possession. 15 shots including 5 on target against 11 shots (2 on target).
January 20, 2026 – Real Madrid/Monaco: 6-1. Playing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. 47% possession. 18 shots, 6 on target, compared to 23 shots (7 on target).
January 28, 2026 – Monaco/Juventus: 0-0. Playing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. 50% possession. 11 shots, 5 on target, compared to 4 shots (0 on target).
The probable starting lineup in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Balogun
Adingra – Golovin – Akliouche
Zakaria – Camara
Henrique – Faes – Kehrer – Vanderson
Köhn
Monaco’s playing style.
As with Union Saint-Gilloise, Pocognoli is trying to implement an attacking style of play. This also suits the squad, although there are some adaptation difficulties and physical setbacks. Ultimately, we have a team that has distinguished itself defensively during the league phase and could capitalize on this against Paris, hoping to take advantage of PSG’s current doubts and quick transitions. However, they must be wary of some significant defensive lapses in certain matches.
