MON vs REI Dream11 Prediction: French side Monaco will start their 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday when they welcome Reims to the Stade Louis II for the opening round of fixtures. The home side ended the 2019-20 campaign in ninth before the coronavirus pandemic led to the abandonment of the season, while Reims secured sixth spot and a route into the Europa League. Monaco managed to vastly improve on their 2018-19 finish in the most recent season, new manager Niko Kovac will be aware of the strenuous task he faces as the side bid to challenge for European football this time around. Reims, on the other side, will be looking to build on their fantastic 2019-20 campaign which saw them qualify for European competition for the first time in 58 years. The six-time Ligue 1 champions had managed to string together a four-game unbeaten streak in the top flight just before the lockdown period, and Reims finished one point better off than seventh-placed Lyon after 28 matches.
Date: 23 August, Sunday
Time: 4:30pm IST
Place: Stade Louis II
Form Guide:
MON: L-D-D-W-W
REI: W-D-D-W-L
Head-to-head (last 15 meetings)
Monaco- Won 4
Reims- Won 5
Draw- 6
MON Team News
Monaco ended the 2019-20 campaign in mid-table obscurity with 40 points to show from 28 matches, although Monaco were only one point adrift of the top six before the season was curtailed. However, a ninth-placed finish was not enough to prevent Robert Moreno from being relieved of his duties earlier in the summer – in spite of the fact that Monaco only suffered one defeat from their final six league outings in the most recent season. Kovac has a plethora of talent at his disposal in Fontvieille, and Les Monegasques ended their pre-season in perfect fashion with a 2-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar..
Injury update, unavailability:
Pietro Pellegri is injured and out of this clash against Reims.
Expected team changes:
Axel Disasi will make his Monaco debut against the side he just left, slotting into central defence in Niko Kovac’s first game in charge. Henry Onyekuru has impressed on the left wing in pre-season and should keep Nacer Chadli out of the team. Kovac has his side playing in a 4-3-3 formation, the departure of Islam Slimani will see Ben Yedder leading the line on his own.
MON Playing 11 & Subs (probable)
Benjamin Lecomte; Ruben Aguilar, Benoît Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Fodé Ballo-Touré; Youssouf Fofana, Aurelien Tchouameni; Henry Onyekuru, Aleksandr Golovin, Gelson Martins; Wissam Ben Yedder
Reims Team News
Reims will be looking to their European feats for the 2020-21 campaign, Guion’s men must first navigate a taxing trip to Monaco as they look to end a three-game winless streak on the road in Ligue 1. David Guion’s men took part in nine pre-season friendlies in preparation for the new campaign, and the Europa League contenders recorded 3-1 victory over Danish outfit Midtjylland in their most recent fixture. Monaco and Reims played out a 1-1 draw in this fixture at the end of February, but the away side have only managed to prevail in one of the last 10 meetings between the two clubs in all competitions.
Injury update, unavailability
Reims have no major worries heading into the first round. Hassane Kamara, though, who featured in their most recent league outing, has since joined Nice.
Expected team changes
Reims have switched between a 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formation in preseason, but may opt to match Monaco in midfield here given the danger posed by the pace of Martins and Onyekuru. Wout Faes looks set to be Disasi’s replacement in central defence, the young Belgian has featured extensively in pre-season. Marshall Munetsi could be an option in place of Chavalerin in midfield for the visitors.
REI Playing 11 & Subs (probable)
Predrag Rajković; Thomas Foket, Yunis Abdelhamid, Wout Faes, Ghislain Konan; Xavier Chavalerin, Valon Berisha; Arbër Zeneli, Moreto Cassama, Mathieu Cafaro; Boulaye Dia
Let’s take a look at the dream 11 prediction for today’s football match
Goalkeeper: Rajkovic
Defenders: Konan, Abdelhamid, Aguilar
Midfielders: Cassama, Fabregas, Berisha, Golovin
Forwards: Dia, Ben Yedder, Fofana
Wissam Ben Yedder: He finished as top scorer in last campaign, a prize he shared with Kylian Mbappe — both managing 18 goals. It proved to be his most prolific campaign to date, as he averaged 0.69 strikes per game.
Valon Berisha: Berisha is another attacking footballer who can score goals and can be a captain option.
Yunis Abdelhamid: Yunis Abdelhamid didn’t miss a single minute of action — the only Reims player to do so. The Morocco international was responsible for 47 interceptions and a team-high 87 aerial duels won.
Boulaye Dia: He could be another option here. The Reims player has scored few goals last season to prove his class.
Who will win MON vs REI Today Match Prediction Football
Monaco will be looking to get off to the perfect start this weekend, and while Reims have lost Disasi to their weekend opponents, the away side are certainly not to be underestimated. However, Monaco’s front three have the pace and skill to cause the Reims defence plenty of problems, so we are backing the home side to come out on top in the opening round of fixtures. We predict a 2-0 win for the hosts in today match prediction.