Monaco vs Aston Villa facts

Monaco will look to get their UEFA Champions League campaign back on track against an Aston Villa side attempting to consolidate their position in the standings in France on Matchday 7.

The Ligue 1 side have lost their last two games, 2-3 at home to Benfica and 0-3 at Arsenal last time out, and have ten points. Villa, meanwhile, have 13 points having won four of their six matches, including a 3-2 success at Leipzig on Matchday 6.

This is the clubs' first fixture, although each have recent experience of a team from their opponents' country.

Form guide

Monaco

Record vs English clubs: W9 D4 L6 F27 A28
Home record vs English clubs: W5 D2 L2

The 3-0 loss at Arsenal on Matchday 6 made it two defeats in Monaco's last three games against English opponents.

This is the French club's first home game against Premier League visitors since the 2016/17 round of 16 second leg, when they beat Manchester City 3-1 to progress on away goals after a 6-6 aggregate draw.

That made it successive home wins against English teams for Monaco, who have been beaten in only one of their last eight matches at the Stade Louis II, winning five.

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

Monaco have lost twice in Champions League qualifying since that last group stage 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).

That 2022/23 campaign was Monaco's most recent in European football before 2024/25. Having lost to PSV, they moved across to the UEFA Europa League group stage, finishing second in their section, before losing to Bayer Leverkusen in the knockout round play-offs (3-2 a, 2-3 h aet, 3-5 pens).

Les Monégasques have won four of their last seven home European games, beating Barcelona (2-1) and Crvena Zvzeda (5-1) this season, losing the other three.

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

Aston Villa

Record vs French clubs: W3 D2 L3 F7 A8
Away record vs French clubs: W0 D2 L2

Villa beat LOSC Lille 4-3 on penalties in last season's UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals after a 3-3 aggregate draw.

The 2-1 second-leg defeat at Lille means Villa have still never won in France in their four games.

Villa were 2-1 winners in the home first leg against Lille – their only success in their last four games against Ligue 1 teams (D1 L2) and one of only three in their eight fixtures overall.

This is Villa's first Champions League campaign – they are the 11th English club to feature in the competition proper.

Villa are taking part in the European Cup for the third time overall, and a first since 1982/83, when as holders they lost 5-2 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Juventus in the quarter-finals (1-2 h, 1-3 a).

The Villans were involved in European competition for the first time since 2010/11 in 2023/24, Unai Emery's team reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual champions Olympiacos (2-4 h, 0-2 a).

This season's wins at Young Boys (3-0) and Leipzig have made it four in Villa's last 14 away European games; that run includes seven defeats, including 0-1 at Club Brugge on Matchday 4.

Emery guided Villa to fourth place in the Premier League in 2023/24 – their highest finish since 1995/96, when they were also fourth.

Villa are one of five clubs making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Brest, Bologna, Girona and Slovan Bratislava.

Links and trivia

Youri Tielemans joined Monaco from Anderlecht in May 2017, going on to score six goals in 65 games in all competitions over the next two seasons.

Tielemans played alongside Aleksandr Golovin in 2018/19.

Have also played in France:
Diego Carlos (Nantes 2016–19)
Lucas Digne (LOSC Lille 2005–13, Paris Saint-Germain 2013–15)
Boubacar Kamara (Marseille 2005–22)
Amadou Onana (LOSC Lille 2021/22)
Ross Barkley (Nice 2022/23)

Have played in England:
Thilo Kehrer (West Ham 2022–24)
Mohammed Salisu (Southampton 2020–23)
Folarin Balogun (Arsenal 2008–22, Middlesbrough 2022 loan)
Denis Zakaria (Chelsea 2022/23 loan)
Takumi Minamino (Liverpool 2020–22, Southampton 2021 loan)

Have also played together:
Jordan Teze & Ian Maatsen (PSV Eindhoven youth 2015–18)

International team-mates:
Jordan Teze & Ian Maatsen (Netherlands)

Emery was Paris coach between 2016 and 2018, winning six of his eight games against Monaco (D1 L1).

Latest news

Monaco

Monaco's record since Matchday 6 is W1 D3 L3. They went down 2-1 at Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Friday despite taking the lead through Thilo Kehrer.

Les Monégasques have now won only one of the last six Ligue 1 fixtures (D2 L3) – 2-0 at home to Toulouse on 7 December.

On 14 January, Monaco were knocked out of the French Cup round of 32 at Reims, losing 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

On 5 January Monaco conceded in added time to lose 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the French Super Cup.

Christian Mawissa has not played since coming off with a hamstring injury in a goalless draw against Reims on 14 December, although he was an unused substitute on Friday.

Denis Zakaria missed the loss at Montpellier due to illness; Wilfried Singo was also absent having been replaced early on at Reims with a back problem.

George Ilenikhena has missed the last three games with a groin injury.

Folarin Balogun has been out since 1 December after shoulder surgery.

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 January Monaco announced coach Adi Hütter had signed a two-year contract extension until 2027.

On 11 January, Monaco announced the signing of Mika Biereth from Sturm Graz on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The Danish striker set up Mohamed Salisu to score on his debut at Reims but missed his penalty in the shoot-out.

Aston Villa

On Saturday goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins earned a 2-2 draw at Arsenal – the first time Villa had avoided defeat in a Premier League game in which they had trailed by two goals in 53 matches stretching back to November 2013.

Villa had won their previous three games in all competitions, including a 1-0 victory at Everton on 15 January.

That ended a five-match losing streak in Premier League away matches and was their first win since 19 October.

Unai Emery's side were 2-1 victors at home to West Ham in the FA Cup third round on 10 January; they will play Tottenham at Villa Park in the next round.

Watkins is Villa's top scorer in this season's Premier League on ten goals, three more than Jhon Durán, who has found the net in four of his last six matches in all competitions.

Amadou Onana was taken off in the first half on Saturday with a hamstring problem.

John McGinn has missed the last three games with a thigh injury while Ross Barkley suffered a calf injury against West Ham and has not played since.

Diego Carlos has not played since 30 December due to a foot injury.

Pau Torres has also been out since 30 December having been replaced in the first half of a 2-2 home draw against Brighton with an ankle problem.

Villa signed forward Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund on 14 January.