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Monaco vs Juventus as it happened: Gonzalo Higuain double puts Old Lady in control
Re-live the Champions League semi-final at the Stade Louis II
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Monaco entertain Juventus in this week's second Champions League semi-final first leg, with Leonardo Jardim's unstoppable attacking force hoping to progress past Max Allegri's immovable object.
- Juventus reaching Champions League final is 'logical conclusion', claims Gianluigi Buffon
- Jose Mourinho wants to sign Monaco's Bernardo Silva for Manchester United, and it's no surprise why
- Bayern Munich preparing an end of season raid on Monaco's talented youngsters, says Lothar Matthaus
- Kylian Mbappe's uncle claims Manchester United and City both have a chance of signing Monaco star
What time does it start?
Monaco vs Juventus kicks off at 7.45pm on Wednesday 3 May.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 2 from 7.00pm.
Highlights will be shown on BT Sport 3 at 1.00am on Thursday 4 May.
Preview
Monaco and Juventus sit at the top of their respective leagues and will compete in an intriguing semi-final fixture. Juventus gained plaudits for a defensive masterclass in the last round, when they defended a 3-0 lead at Barcelona’s Camp Nou to shut out the Spanish side. Monaco have become renowned for their ability to score goals but have, at times, looked vulnerable in defence; making for an exciting tie.
A tight encounter between the sides in 2015 saw Juventus run out 1-0 aggregate winners, who went on to lose the final to Barcelona. Both teams have strengthened considerably since, evidenced by impressive performances throughout this campaign, with managers Allegri and Jardim being afforded time and resources to build on their squads.
The youth and fluidity of Monaco pit against the experience and nous of Juventus will be interesting to watch and both sides are able to field strong sides, with only Tiemoue Bakayoko unavailable for Monaco after breaking his nose in training, while Rugani (knee injury) and Khedira, serving a one-game suspension, will miss out for Juventus.
It’s a big game for…
Gonzalo Higuain. The forward has only scored two goals in 21 European knockout matches. Despite the Argentinian’s unquestionable ability, questions have resurfaced over his ability to perform under pressure due to poor performances in big games with Argentina as well as at club level. He will be keen to prove his doubters wrong at the Stade Louis II.
Best stat
Monaco's average squad age is 25.3, compared to Juventus’ 28.2: the youngest and oldest squads remaining in the competition respectively.
Remember when…
Juventus knocked out Monaco in a high scoring fixture in the 1997/98 Champions League semi-final, which finished 6-4 on aggregate. Zidane and Del Piero were the scorers in an emphatic first leg victory in Turin, allowing them to lose but still progress in the return fixture.
Player to watch
Bernardo Silva. While Kylian Mbappe is stealing the headlines at the moment, it is Silva who pulls the strings in midfield and makes things happen for the forwards, who have been in remarkable form this season. Silva has popped up at crucial moments throughout Monaco’s season and is said to be on the radar of numerous clubs this summer.
Past three-meetings
Monaco 0 Juventus 0
Champions League, May 2015
Juventus 1 Monaco 0
Champions League, April 2015
Monaco 3 Juventus 2
Champions League, April 1998
Form guide…
Juventus: DWDWW
Monaco: WWWLW
Odds
Provided by 888 Sport
Juventus to win: 11/8
Monaco to win: 39/19
Draw: 27/11
Good evening and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of tonight's Champions League semi-final clash between Monaco and Juventus.
We should be in for quite a night of football so make sure to stay tuned as we bring you build-up, updates and goals from the Stade Louis II.
Team news to follow.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object? We're about to find out tonight.
On the one hand, we have the attacking flair and tenacity of AS Monaco, frontlined by the resurgent Radamel Falcao and the youngster on everyone's lips: Kylian Mbappe. In France, they've been knocking away goals for fun and are currently scoring at a rate unmatched by any club since the Racing Paris side of 1960. This has been emulated on the continent, with the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund all succumbing to their fire power.
But they face off tonight against one of the best defences in Europe. With Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci at the heart of the Italians' backline, Juventus will surely prove Monaco's toughest test yet. They were formidable against Barcelona - a side that boasts Lionel Messi and Neymar among their ranks - and have years of experience in dealing with nifty forwards such Mbappe.
Who knows which way this first leg will go. Either way, we're in for one hell of a game.
Now, some pretty pictures to get you in the mood. Enjoy.
The Monaco lads looking very dapper
Stade Louis II
Interesting fact: The current UEFA Champions League trophy stands 73.5cm tall and weighs 7.5kg.
Classy club badges
On a more serious note, here's Jack Pitt-Brooke, who's at the game tonight, with some words on Bernardo Silva.
"If there is one man who Monaco will be most desperate to keep at the Stade Louis II this summer, and who could do the most for whichever team he joins, it is none of those players but Bernardo Silva. The little 22-year-old midfielder is Monaco’s most important player, the man that Juventus have to stop this evening. When he controls the game then Monaco can be irresistible..."
Read on, folks:
By 'composition', they mean 'formation'. That's French GSCE for you. No real surprises, though, with Falcao and Mbappe leading the line, as expected, while Djibril Sidibé returns at left-back.
The most interesting duel tonight undoubtedly centres around Mbappe and the Juventus central pairing.
The Frenchman was absolutely outstanding against Manchester City in the last 16 and Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, scoring five goals in the four legs as the spearhead of Leonardo Jardim's vibrant Monaco team, but the Juventus defence poses a completely new challenge for Mbappe.
European football's best defensive team, the stubborn Old Lady, the immovable object: the Italians are something else.
It will be fascinating to see how Mbappe copes against the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, two uncompromising defenders who specialise in putting young upstarts like him in their place. At 30 and 32 years of age respectively, Bonucci and Chiellini have the combined wisdom of 1,112 competitive matches for club and country behind them. In Europe, they've conceded just twice. Put simply, it's going to take something special to get past these fellas.
Tonight will surely be a huge learning curve for the 18-year-old - regardless of which way the result goes.
Mbappe ahead of tonight's game
Some stats to get stuck into...
- This is the second time these sides have met in a Champions League semi-final. Juventus secured their passage to the final with a 6-4 aggregate victory 19 years ago, before losing to Real Madrid in the final.
- Monaco have reached the Champions League semis for the fourth time in their history (1993-94, 1997-98 and 2003-04.) No other French league team have made the last four more than once.
- Juventus, alongside Real Madrid, are the only unbeaten team in this season's Champions League (W7 D3) and have not conceded a goal for 531 minutes, the longest current run in the competition.
- Monaco have won 71% of their home games in the Champions League (22 out of 31).
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