Arsenal vs Monaco facts

Arsenal will look to continue their perfect home record in this season's UEFA Champions League at home to Monaco, who are aiming to bounce back from defeat last time out.

The Gunners have beaten French champions Paris Saint-Germain (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) in north London in the league phase and have ten points thanks to a 5-1 success at Sporting CP on Matchday 5.

Monaco conceded twice in the final six minutes to lose 2-3 at home to Benfica last time out, ending their unbeaten start to this season's competition (W3 D1).

Previous meetings

2014/15 Champions League round of 16
Arsenal 1-3 Monaco
Monaco 0-2 Arsenal
The French side progressed on away goals after an engrossing tie. Goals from Geoffrey Kondogbia (38) and Dimitar Berbatov (53) put the visitors in control in the north London first leg and, though substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain halved Arsenal's deficit late on (90+1), there was still time for Yannick Carrasco to race clear and fire in Monaco's third.

The French side were left hanging on in the Stade Louis II return, however, where Olivier Giroud and then Aaron Ramsey levelled the tie with 11 minutes remaining, but the Gunners – under former Monaco coach Arsène Wenger – were unable to find a third goal.

Form guide

Arsenal

Record vs French clubs: W16 D8 L5 F46 A24
Home record vs French clubs: W8 D4 L3

Before beating Paris on Matchday 2, the Gunners were also paired with French opponents in last season's group stage, losing 2-1 at Lens before a 6-0 home win.

The 1-3 defeat by Monaco in 2015 is Arsenal's only loss in their last eight home games against French clubs (W5 D2). They have won the last three, scoring 11 goals without conceding.

Having not featured in the Champions League proper between 2016/17 and 2023/24, Arsenal are making their second successive appearance.

This is Arsenal's 21st Champions League campaign – second only to Manchester United's 25 among English clubs – but only their second in eight seasons. The 2016/17 season had been their 19th in a row, all under Wenger.

The Gunners finished first in Group B last season and then edged past Porto (0-1 a, 1-0 h aet, 4-2 pens) – their first round of 16 success since 2009/10, also against the Portuguese side – but lost to Bayern München in the quarter-finals (2-2 h, 0-1 a).

Arsenal have won 13 of their last 17 home European matches, losing only one.

Champions League runners-up in 2006, Mikel Arteta's side were second behind Manchester City in the Premier League last season for a second successive campaign.

Monaco

Record vs English clubs: W9 D4 L5 F27 A25
Away record vs English clubs: W4 D2 L3

Monaco have not played an English club since 2016/17, when they beat Manchester City on away goals after a 6-6 aggregate draw in the round of 16 (3-5 a, 3-1 h).

That made it three wins in their last four games against Premier League opponents, after three in the previous ten encounters (D4 L3).

Monaco won their first two away games against English clubs but only two of the subsequent seven (D2 L3), losing two of the last three and three of the last five.

This is Monaco's tenth appearance in the Champions League proper and a first since 2018/19.

Runners-up to Porto in 2003/04, Monaco have lost twice in Champions League qualifying since that last group appearance, going out to Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2021/22 play-offs (2-3 aggregate) and PSV Eindhoven in the third qualifying round a year later (3-4 agg).

The 2022/23 campaign is Monaco's most recent in European football. Having lost to PSV, they moved across to the Europa League, losing to Bayer Leverkusen in the knockout round play-offs (3-2 a, 2-3 h aet, 3-5 pens).

The 1-0 win at Bologna on Matchday 4 this season – which followed a 2-2 Matchday 2 draw at GNK Dinamo – was Les Monégasques' fifth in their last 20 away European matches (D8 L7) and a third in the last six (D2 L1).

Adi Hütter's side sealed a return to the Champions League proper by finishing second in Ligue 1 in 2023/24. It was Monaco's highest final league placing since 2017/18, when they were also runners-up to Paris.

Links and trivia

Monaco striker Folarin Balogun was part of Arsenal's academy between 2008 and 2020, signing a professional contract in 2019. He made his first-team debut the following year but made only one further appearance, spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Middlesbrough before moving to France.

Bukayo Saka and Balogun were Arsenal youth team-mates from 2008 to 2018.

Have also played together:
Declan Rice & Thilo Kehrer (West Ham 2022/23)
Jorginho, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz & Denis Zakaria (Chelsea 2022/23)

Jakub Kiwior and Eliot Matazo were Anderlecht academy team-mates until 2018.

Have played in France:
William Saliba (St-Étienne 2016–20, Nice 2021 loan, Marseille 2021/22 loan)
Gabriel (Troyes 2017/18, LOSC Lille 2018–20)

Have also played in England:
Thilo Kehrer (West Ham 2022–24)
Mohammed Salisu (Southampton 2020–23)
Denis Zakaria (Chelsea 2022/23 loan)
Takumi Minamino (Liverpool 2020–22, Southampton 2021 loan)

International team-mates:
Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neto & Caio Henrique, Vanderson (Brazil)
Kai Havertz & Thilo Kehrer (Germany)
Jurriën Timber & Jordan Teze (Netherlands)
Takehiro Tomiyasu & Takumi Minamino (Japan)
Thomas Partey & Mohammed Salisu (Ghana)
Jakub Kiwior & Radoslaw Majecki (Poland)

Latest news

Arsenal

Arsenal had won four successive games in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and conceding three, before being held 1-1 at Fulham on Sunday.

William Saliba scored Arsenal's equaliser from a corner, making it 23 goals via that route in the Premier League for Arsenal since the start of last season – a competition high.

Jurriën Timber and Saliba were on target in a 2-0 home win against Manchester United on 4 December, also from corners.

That was the 500th match at the Arsenal Stadium.

Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori have missed the last two games having gone off injured in a 5-2 victory at West Ham on 30 November.

Ben White underwent knee surgery over the international break and has been ruled out for "several months".

Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out since 5 October due to a knee injury.

Kieran Tierney (thigh) is yet to play this season, although he was on the bench on Sunday.

On 2 December Calafiori was named in the Serie A Team of the Year for 2023/24 at the Gran Gala del Calcio for his performances with Bologna.

Monaco

Les Monégasques have lost four of their last eight games in all competitions, including a 2-1 defeat at Marseille on 1 December, winning the other four including Saturday's 2-0 home success against Toulouse.

Monaco's Ligue 1 record in 2024 is W19 D6 L6. Only Paris Saint-Germain, with 20, have won more games.

Denis Zakaria sat out Saturday's game against Toulouse with a hamstring injury sustained at the end of the warm-up.

Folarin Balogun came on against Benfica on Matchday 5 after being sidelined since 5 October due to a dislocated left shoulder.

Krépin Diatta (adductors) has been out since 20 November.

Edan Diop has not played this season due to a stress fracture in his foot.

On 4 December Monaco extended Soungoutou Magassa's contract for two years, until June 2029.