AS Monaco vs Montpellier Prediction: A win for the home team or BTTS

Montpellier squares up against an outstanding AS Monaco team in a crucial match on Sunday at the Stade Louis II as Ligue 1 resumes play with another round of games on match day 33 this weekend.

AS Monaco, who now occupy the fourth position in the league rankings, has been on a roll this season. The previous match between the principality club and Lens ended in a devastating 3-0 loss for them, thus they will need to win this weekend.

In the Ligue 1 rankings, Montpellier is presently in 13th position and has not played well this year. Last week, the away team defeated Rennes 1-0, and they'll want to repeat that feat this time around.

AS Monaco will be counting on the three game unbeaten run at home to get back to winning ways to continu to push for a spot in Champions League next season.  

There are just six games left in this league, but AS Monaco is struggling to qualify for the Champions League for the upcoming season. With a chance to climb up to third in the standings, they traveled to Stade Bollaert-Delelis, but they struggled right from the start, falling behind by two goals after only 16 minutes.

AS Monaco will only have themselves to blame if they don't finish in the top three at the end of the season after blowing seven points from winning positions against two of the three teams above them and losing twice to Lens, who are now five points ahead of Les Monegasques in third place.

Monaco has only lost two of the 28 domestic games played at Stade Louis II and it has defeated Montpellier in this tournament. Les Monegasques have found their scoring touch at home again after a two-match goalless spell that saw them lose to Nice and Reims in late February and early March. In their previous two games in the Principality, they have scored seven goals.

Les Monegasques are winless in 2023 when the reverse occurs, but they haven't won a single domestic game this year when they've given up the first goal.

Malang Sarr and Breel Embolo are expected to be out until the beginning of May for Monaco due to abdominal pain in the former and a sprained knee in the latter, respectively. Gelson Martins is dealing with personal matters, while Aleksandr Golovin was injured in the pre-match against Lens but should be back this weekend along with Ruben Aguilar, who is back to full fitness.

AS Monaco's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Nubel; 

Defenders: Aguilar, Disasi, Maripan, Henrique; 

Midfielders: Fofana, Camara; Vanderson, Golovin; 

Strikers: Ben Seghir, Ben Yedder

Montpellier can now breathe a bit easier since they are eight points clear of the relegation zone thanks to a late goal against Stade Rennais at home on Sunday to give Montpellier a much-needed win. Montpellier will play the first of two consecutive Ligue 1 away games on Sunday after failing to defend a one-goal advantage in back-to-back away games against Marseille and Lille.

These lost points continue a pattern for this squad against opponents toward the top of the standings, as Montpellier has lost seven of its nine games this year against the top five teams. The second spell of Der Zakarian can e considered a success despite his team's slightly declining record this month.  Since the hiring of Der Zakarian ahead of matchday 23, La Paillade has accrued 20 points in league action.

They have competed well on the road since the start of the domestic campaign, picking up points in seven games, five of which were clean sheets. However, Montpellier's defensive performance against the principality club has been far from stellar, as they have given up multiple goals to the home team in four straight league games, and they have only managed to pick up points in three of their last eight trips to Stade Louis II.

Due to thigh, groin, and calf injuries, respectively, Beni Makouana, Maxime Esteve, and Theo Sainte-Luce are all anticipated to miss the start of La Paillade's match against Rennes until early May. Teji Savanier won't be available either after receiving a straight red card during that match.

Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Lecomte; 

Defenders: Sacko, Jullien, Kouyate, Sylla; 

Midfielders: Chotard, Ferri, Nordin, Khazri, Mavididi

Strikers: Wahi

Since they have stepped up this year, AS Monaco will have to put in a lot of effort to finish in the top four. The hosts cannot afford another disaster this weekend after Lens completely outperformed them last week.

This season, Montpellier has shown flashes of their ability, but they must perform at their peak levels if they want to have a chance in this game. On paper, AS Monaco appears to be the superior team and ought to prevail in this match. A 2-1 or 3-1 scoreline is anticipated in the game.