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Monaco record gives City cause for caution

Manchester City have reason to be wary of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 visitors Monaco, a team who have lost only once in knockout ties against English opposition.

Monaco have already won at Spurs this season, where Thomas Lemar hit their second goal
Monaco have already won at Spurs this season, where Thomas Lemar hit their second goal ©Getty Images

Manchester City FC have reason to be wary when they host an AS Monaco FC side with a fine record in knockout ties against English opposition in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 encounter.

• Monaco reached the knockout stage as winners of Group E, while City qualified as Group C runners-up behind FC Barcelona.

Match background

Manchester City
• City are bidding to make the quarter-finals for the second time in their history, following last term's groundbreaking run to the last four.

• They are on a nine-match unbeaten streak at home in the UEFA Champions League (W6 D3).

• City overcame Paris Saint-Germain in last season's quarter-finals, Kevin De Bruyne scoring in both legs as they drew 2-2 in France before a 1-0 victory back in Manchester.

• City's only other brush with French opposition was a 0-0 home draw with Paris in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage. Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta both played.

• Josep Guardiola won all seven previous round of 16 ties as a coach with Barcelona and FC Bayern München.

Monaco
• Monaco are seeking a second UEFA Champions League quarter-final appearance in three seasons, having last competed in the last eight in 2015 after beating Arsenal FC on away goals in the round of 16 (3-1 a, 0-2 h).

• They have already won on English soil once this term, defeating Tottenham Hotspur FC 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in their group opener, with Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar scoring. Lemar struck again when they beat Tottenham 2-1 at home on 22 November.

• Monaco's away record against English league clubs is W4 D2 L2.

• ASM have won all but one of their five previous two-legged ties against teams from England, including UEFA Champions League successes against Manchester United FC (1997/98 quarter-final), Chelsea FC (2003/04 semi-final) and Arsenal FC (2014/15 round of 16.)

Coach and player links
• This is Guardiola's first duel with French opponents since his Barcelona side beat Olympique Lyonnais 6-3 on aggregate in the last 16 in 2009. As a player, he was in the Barcelona side that overcame Paris 1-0 in the 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final. He had helped Barcelona to home (2-0) and away (1-0) victories over Monaco in the 1993/94 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Leonardo Jardim's first encounter with English opposition came as coach of the SC Braga side that beat Birmingham City FC twice (3-1 a, 1-0 h) in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage. The next season, as Olympiacos FC boss, he faced Arsenal in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage, losing 3-1 in London but winning 2-1 at home.

• Yaya Touré was a Monaco player in 2006/07, making 27 Ligue 1 outings and scoring five goals.

• Bacary Sagna faced Monaco five times with AJ Auxerre between 2004 and 2007 (W2 D2 L1).

• João Moutinho was in the FC Porto team beaten 4-0 at City in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 on 22 February 2012. Fernando and Nicolás Otamendi also featured for Porto that night.

• During his 2014/15 loan at Manchester United, Radamel Falcao figured as an 83rd-minute substitute in a 4-2 derby home win over City. On loan at Chelsea in 2015/16, the Colombian was a late replacement in a 3-0 loss at City.

• Falcao struck Porto's winner in a 2-1 first-leg home success over Arsenal in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League round of 16 (agg 2-6). He hit a hat-trick against Chelsea for Club Atlético de Madrid in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup.

• Djibril Sidibé made his home debut for France as a replacement for Sagna during a 4-1 FIFA World Cup qualifying win in October 2016.

• Aleksandar Kolarov scored a free-kick goal for Serbia in a 1-1 friendly draw with France in Belgrade in 2014.

• Have played together:
Fernando & Radamel Falcao (FC Porto, 2009–11)
Fernando, Nicolás Otamendi & João Moutinho (FC Porto, 2010–13)
Bacary Sagna & Djibril Sidibé (France)
Fernandinho & Fabinho (Brazil)

Match facts

Manchester City
• Raheem Sterling is a booking away from a ban.

• City had won their last four fixtures in all competitions before Saturday's FA Cup draw at Huddersfield Town AFC. The winners of the replay will travel to Middlesbrough FC in the quarter-finals.

• Gabriel Jesus broke a metatarsal bone in his right foot early on in the 2-0 victory at AFC Bournemouth on 13 February.

• Jesus went into the Bournemouth match having scored three goals in his first four appearances in English football.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Kelechi Iheanacho, Gabriel Jesus, Yaya Touré
Out: Angeliño, İlkay Gündoğan, James Horsfield, Pablo Maffeo, Billy O'Brien

Monaco
• Kamil Glik will incur a suspension with his next booking, while Jemerson serves a one-match ban.

• Monaco have won 11 of their 15 games in all competitions since matchday six, losing once – 3-1 at home to Olympique Lyonnais on 18 December.

• Jardim's men will play Paris in the French League Cup final on 1 April.

• Monaco have also made progress in the French Cup, where they will meet Olympique de Marseille on 1 March in the last 16, having beaten AC Ajaccio (2-1) and third-tier FC Chambly (5-4 AET) in 2017.

• Not including the Chambly game, the principality team have scored four goals or more in a match on 11 occasions this season.

• Falcao has scored 13 goals in his last 14 appearances in all competitions.

• Kylian Mbappé, 18, has registered two hat-tricks since the beginning of December, his most recent treble coming in a 5-0 defeat of FC Metz on 11 February.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Franco Antonucci, Dylan Beaulieu, Jorge
Out: Mehdi Beneddine, Corentin Jean, Adama Traoré

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