The lowdown on AS Monaco

The first of eight games for FC Barcelona in the brand new League Phase of the Champions League brings a trip to Monaco. Here's the lowdown on the red and whites.

WHERE ARE THEY FROM

The Principality of Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world, and is situated on the Mediterranean coast, surrounded by France, but also just a few miles from the Italian border. As a constitutional monarchy, its is ruled by House of Grimaldi, which also owns 33% of the football club. Prince Albert II is the current head of state in a country whose population is notoriously wealthy, around 30% of them are millionaires, and the casinos, yachting and gorgeous location close to the French Alps make Monaco a playground for the rich.

HISTORY

The Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club was founded in 1924, so this is the club's centenary year. As Monaco has no national league of its own, the club has always been part of the French pyramid, and with eight Ligue 1 titles is one of its most successful teams.

The club's proudest moment was 2004, when they reached the Champions League final for the first and only time, losing 3-0 to Jose Mourinho's Porto. However, by 2011, the club was deep in crisis, and dropped into the second division. It took time to get the club back on its feet, but by 2016-17 it was celebrating its first league championship for 17 years, one of just two times since 2013 that PSG's dominance has been interrupted.

THE STADIUM

Monaco play at the 16,360 capacity Stade Louis II, opened in 1981 on the site of another ground of the same name, where Barça once played in a friendly against Portuguesa Rio of Brazil in honour of the wedding of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. Barça presented the princess with a black mantilla that her daughter, Princess Carolina, wore to her mother’s funeral following her tragic death in 1982.

With its iconic arches at one end of the ground, it may be small but offers state-of-the-art facilities, and for many years it was the regular venue for the European Super Cup. Barça played in three of those, losing 3-0 to Sevilla in 2006, but beating Shakthar Donetsk and Porto in 2009 and 2011.

FORM GUIDE

As well as Barça, Monaco also won away to Feyenoord in the preseason and have carried their form across to the French league, where they are unbeaten after four matches, having defeated Saint-Étienne, Lyon and Auxerre and only dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Lens. The last minute equaliser that they conceded in that match is the only goal they've conceded so far.

THE PLAYERS

Of the various departures last summer, midfielder Youssouf Fofana's move to Milan was perhaps the biggest. But the squad has been bolstered by the signings of German Thilo Kehrer (West Ham), George Ilenikhena (Antwerp), Lamine Camara (Metz), Christian Mawissa (Toulouse), Paris Brunner (Dortmund) and Jordan Teze (PSV).

Most international caps
Breel Embolo (Switzerland, 68), Takumi Minamino (Japan, 61), Denis Zakaria (Switzerland, 57), Aleksandr Golovin (Russia, 48), Krépin Diatta (Seneal, 42), Thilo Kehrer (Germany, 27), Wilfried Singo (Ivory Coast, 23), Lamine Camara (Senegal, 20), Eliot Matazo (Belgium, 19), Folarin Balogun (USA, 17), Mohammed Salisu (Ghana, 15)

THE MANAGER

Austrian Adi Hütter was best known in his playing days as a midfielder at Austria Salzburg, and also earned 14 caps for his country. As a coach, he is especially renowned for his work with Eintracht Frankfurt, when he was twice named Bundesliga Coach of the Year. After a less successful year at Borussia Mönchengladbach, in 2023 he accepted the Monaco job, his first position outside of the German-speaking world.