Monaco vs Aston Villa Predictions

• Eight of Villa’s previous nine have featured at least three goals
• Over 2.5 goals has landed in five of Monaco’s six Champions League games
• Monaco have scored twice or more in eight of their last 10 home matches

Villa among Europe’s elite

Aston Villa have just two games left in the League Phase of the Champions League and they’re on course to secure a place in the last 16. Unai Emery has shown his European expertise with the Villains picking up 13 points from their first six matches, putting them fifth in the 36-team standings.

Liverpool and Barcelona are the only two sides to have secured more points than Villa in the competition. Emery’s side are looking to secure a top-eight finish and bypass the first knockout round, which would be a huge boost given how tough they’ve found juggling this competition with their Premier League fixtures.

Monaco slide after strong start

Monaco also made a great start to their Champions League campaign, taking 10 points from their first four matches. However, consecutive defeats have left Monaco 16th, pushing them out of the race for a top-eight finish.

The hosts have lost 3-2 at home to Benfica and 3-0 to Arsenal, suggesting they will struggle to deal with a Villa side that have adjusted well in their return to Europe’s top competition.

The visitors have also won three of their last four matches ahead of this clash, while they fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Arsenal at the weekend. That strong run puts them in a good position ahead of Tuesday’s visit to Stade Louis II.

Duran can make an impact for high-scoring Villains

Aston Villa welcomed back forward Jhon Duran on Saturday following his four-game suspension. The Colombian had been in excellent form, netting in four consecutive matches before his red card at Newcastle. While his run-out was limited at the Emirates, he’s likely to take on a bigger role this week having netted three goals across 205 Champions League minutes this term.

Duran adds more scoring threat to a Villa side who have been involved in plenty of high-scoring games in recent months. The visitors won 3-2 at RB Leipzig in their last European game, with that coming in a nine-match stretch where over 2.5 goals has landed eight times.

Hosts Monaco have scored at least twice in eight of their last 10 at home, while five of their six European games have featured three or more goals. Of the 24 sides on course to make the next round, only Dinamo Zagreb and Feyenoord have conceded more goals than Monaco. Take the hosts to play their part in another high-scoring game.