Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
After the sensational 1st leg encounter at The Etihad 3 weeks ago, many felt that Manchester City versus Monaco was the greatest Champions League game of all time. But as we all know with the goings on at The Nou Camp last Wednesday that honour has already been taken away from them.
But in all honesty neither Manchester City nor Monaco will be all that interested by that accolade as they will be more concerned with not only progressing to the Quarter Finals of the Champions League but also hoping that they can go all the way and win the competition come June.
Manchester City reached the Semi Finals last season but it’s fair to say they never really turned up in the two ties against Real Madrid while Monaco’s best attempt at winning Europe’s most prestigious club competition was when they reached the 2004 final but were bested by Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto.
There’s no denying that the 1st leg was a sensational encounter with both defences looking fragile, the eight goals conceded by the two teams combined will be obvious testament to that but on the flipside it just showed how dangerous their attack lines can be.
Radamel Falcao may have been on the losing side that night but he stole the show with his exquisite chipped finish which showed the footballing world that he was back on the main stage and it was a return to his deadliest best.
He managed to turn John Stones inside out and frankly left him nothing short of embarrassed as the Colombian finisher not only silenced The Etihad but left pretty much everyone watching at home speechless.
Even though Monaco may have conceded 5 goals that evening they are still very much in this tie, that’s because there are very few occasions where a team will go away from home and score 3 goals while still ending up on the losing side.
In theory Monaco may only need a 2-0 win tonight in front of their own fans but with the way both sides played in the 1st leg, it looks very unlikely that either side will keep a clean sheet. So brace yourselves for goals later on.
Manchester City did manage to keep a clean sheet on Saturday in their F.A. Cup Quarter Final win over Middlesbrough but in all fairness that is not the hardest task in the world what with Aitor Karanka’s aversion to scoring this season.
It was actually the third clean sheet in a row for Pep Guardiola’s men but the fact they were held to a 0-0 draw against a very stubborn Stoke City side last Wednesday could have wider ramifications later on in the season in the race for a top four place and a subsequent return to this competition.
Monaco prepared for this tie in ideal fashion with a 2-1 win over Bordeaux on Saturday. That’s the third straight win for the Monte Carlo side and they find themselves 3 points clear of Unai Emery’s PSG at the top of Ligue 1.
What is more astonishing is the fact that they have racked up 84 goals in 29 league matches, just under 3 goals on average and it shows the amount of attacking talent they have at their disposal. It’s not just Falcao but there is also the likes of Thomas Lemar and Bernado Silva who can cause City problems.
The big question though is who will get the necessary result to see them through. City are in the box seat with a 2 goal headstart but should they go behind then it makes the tie very interesting, especially for the neutral.
Tottenham struggled here earlier in the season and although they had a forgettable campaign in this competition I think it just shows how dangerous this Monaco side can be. I think though City will advance to the Quarter Finals as that two goal advantage will just be enough. I reckon a draw will secure City’s place in the Quarter Final draw while entertainers Monaco bow out with plenty of new fans.
