Strasbourg vs AS Monaco Prediction: Strasbourg Aims to End Monaco's Dominance in Intense Ligue 1 Clash

As Ligue 1 reaches the 11th round, Strasbourg welcome AS Monaco to Stade de la Meinau in a tie replete with intrigue and importance for the ambitions of both teams this campaign. Strasbourg sits 9th in the league and has shown promising displays, but inconsistency haunts them under manager Liam Rosenior, while Monaco currently occupies 3rd in the table with its championship aspirations in full gear, momentum must be regained after a surprise defeat 1-0 to Angers. Both teams go into this fixture with recent mixed performances, while it is also an important encounter for stabilizing their league form by pushing further up the table.

Strasbourg

Strasbourg's course of the season has been indicative of a side that is talented but very inconsistent, managing to win only three times in ten games. Under Liam Rosenior, Strasbourg has been set up in a structured 3-4-1-2 system that emphasizes stability but has struggled to create and finish big chances, as seen in their last match against Saint Etienne where they failed to capitalize on 65% possession. They are up against a Monaco team that knows how to exert pressure in attack and switch gears at speed, yet they also suffered an unexpected defeat last match and displayed some of their potential weaknesses.

Liam Rosenior's Strasbourg have generally lined up in 3-4-1-2 and try to dominate midfield while making use of wing-backs to push the play out wide. Defensively, Strasbourg will look to be compact as their back-three system tries to make minimal space between lines and attempts to nullify Monaco's quick attacks. Given the low chance creation in the Saint Etienne fixture, Rosenior may look to slightly adjust his tactic by focusing on quicker ball progression and more direct play to create scoring chances. Considering the recent trend of less than 10.5 corners in most of the games, Strasbourg's approach will most likely be oriented toward cautious buildup aimed at minimizing counter-attacking vulnerabilities.

AS Monaco

Monaco, under the helm of Adolf Hutter, has had a very good season so far, but in recent games, they have shown some little defensive weakness, conceding three in their last five matches. Their 4-4-2 will be set up to attack directly by passing, relying on the fluidity of movements between lines and high-intensity pressing. With a defensive record that still requires improvement, however, Hutter will be seeking to firm his team's shape-particularly against a Strasbourg side that can exploit gaps when afforded space.

The Monaco of Adolf Hutter in a 4-4-2 system also relies on transitions and hits with direct, purposeful attacks. High press, disrupt the opponent's build-up, but Monaco can be more lethal since their two strikers tend to operate together and exploit whatever gap there may be in Strasbourg's structure. Monaco will surely try to create an advantage in the early minutes of the match, as they have never trailed in most of their matches this season, not to mention in any of their last five against Strasbourg. They will most probably use a high defensive line combined with high intense pressing to win the ball back as quick as possible to pin Strasbourg back.

Head to Head

Historically, Monaco leads in this fixture, winning 11 matches to Strasbourg's five, and there have been four draws between them. Recently, Monaco has always dominated this fixture, with four consecutive wins, mostly opening the scoring first in most of those games. That fact just indicates how bad Strasbourg's defence has been, given they concede in four consecutive matches to Monaco. In essence, discipline-wise, these have been rather stern encounters, as they have seen less than 4.5 cards in each of their last seven clashes. That brings into perspective that this could be a tactical game with intense moments; only fewer fouls may go hand in hand with the disciplinary aspect.

Expert Betting Tips

Motivation will be high with both teams coming from disappointing losses, but Monaco can take some advantage in this game due to the styles and tactical strengths of the teams. Strasbourg hasn't succeeded in creating good opportunities to score, as seen against Saint Etienne when they managed only three shots on target. Monaco is very strong in attack and opening the score, which will put Strasbourg under early pressure due to their most recent inconsistency in defense.

This complements Monaco's attacking style: they win battles in midfield, press effectively-which will most likely disrupt Strasbourg from their possession-based approach. But Monaco's defense has shown vulnerabilities, and if Strasbourg can capitalize on set-pieces or transitional plays, they might find scoring opportunities, particularly against Monaco's high line.

• Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.56 Odds
• Away Win/Draw & Over 1.5 Goals
• AS Monaco Wins