Preview: Monaco vs Juventus - prediction, team news, lineups

Battling to stay alive in this season's Champions League, Monaco will welcome Juventus to Stade Louis II when the league phase reaches its climax on Wednesday.

Juve have already wrapped up a playoff place - and could even sneak into the final top eight - but only victory will guarantee their hosts' place in the knockout stage.

Match preview

Having been dealt a merciless thrashing by Real Madrid last week, Monaco's tally of nine points from seven games leaves them 21st in the standings ahead of Wednesday's grand finale.

While they are still on track to reach the knockout-round playoffs, Sebastien Pocognoli's squad sit just one point above the elimination zone heading into the final matchday.

The French side were well beaten at Estadio Bernabeu, where Kylian Mbappe struck twice against his old club in a chaotic 6-1 victory: including 20 attempts by the visitors, there were no fewer than 45 shots overall.

Now, Monaco must bounce back from their heaviest European defeat, amid perhaps their worst spell of a difficult season - the Principality club have also lost seven of their last nine league matches.

Still seeking a first Ligue 1 victory of 2026, Les Monegasques were held to a 0-0 draw by Le Havre on Saturday, which ended a streak of four top-flight defeats but left them 10th in the table.

Though they have recently shipped three goals in both of their last two home fixtures, Pocognoli's side previously managed to keep clean sheets in two consecutive Champions League games at Stade Louis II.

After drawing 0-0 with Tottenham Hotspur and beating Galatasaray 1-0, they are still unbeaten at home in this season's competition, and they must surely maintain that record to make the top 24.

History will not be on their side, however, as Monaco have lost four of six previous meetings with Juventus, winning just one.

The clubs last met in the 2017 semi-finals, with Juventus progressing via victory in both legs; since then, the Italian giants have routinely failed to reach the latter stages.

After making a slow start this term, they have recently shown signs of promise under new management; following last week's 2-0 defeat of Benfica, Luciano Spalletti's side have won their last three Champions League matches.

Having previously beaten Pafos and Bodo/Glimt, Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie found the target in Turin, as Juve secured a playoff place with one round remaining.

Sitting 15th in the table on 12 points, the Bianconeri are just one shy of the all-important top eight, but they will need several results to go their way to progress without the need for a playoff.

To have any real chance of seizing an automatic spot in the last 16, Juventus must win again on Wednesday, following up on back-to-back victories last week.

After taking care of business against Benfica, they maintained their unbeaten home record in Serie A by conquering the Scudetto holders on Sunday evening.

Continuing his recent rise to prominence, Jonathan David started the scoring in an emphatic 3-0 win over Spalletti's former club Napoli, keeping Juve in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Monaco Champions League form:

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Monaco form (all competitions):

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Juventus Champions League form:

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Juventus form (all competitions):

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Team News

Monaco's long injury list is headlined by former Juventus star Paul Pogba, while Takumi Minamino, Lukas Hradecky and Mohammed Salisu are also out of contention.

Defensive duo Eric Dier (thigh) and Wout Faes (ankle) joined them last weekend; like AFCON winner Krepin Diatta, the latter is not part of Pocognoli's Champions League squad in any case.

Elsewhere, Ansu Fati and Vanderson have only just returned from layoffs, while Christian Mawissa is still struggling with a hamstring problem.

By contrast, Juve's injury woes have begun to subside, as only Daniele Rugani, Dusan Vlahovic and long-term absentee Arkadiusz Milik are sidelined.

Kenan Yildiz notched his eighth Serie A goal of the season last week, and he could join McKennie, who has scored in his last three Champions League appearances, behind a lone front man.

Now ahead of Lois Openda in the pecking order, David has recorded two goals and an assist during the Bianconeri's recent hat-trick of league-phase successes.

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Kohn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Teze, Henrique; Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Fati, Golovin; Balogun

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David