3 Key Points About Barca Ahead of Their Match Against Monaco

Tomorrow morning, Barcelona will kick off their 2024/25 Champions League campaign with what is expected to be a challenging away match against AS Monaco.

Coach Hansi Flick and his team are fired up for their Champions League journey, coming in with the momentum of five straight wins from the start of this season in La Liga. However, AS Monaco is not an easy opponent, as they defeated Barcelona 3-0 in mid-August.

Here are three key points about the Catalan giants ahead of what is expected to be an exciting match:

A Start to Big Ambitions

Year after year, Barca faces high expectations whenever a new European season begins. However, the Champions League title has eluded them for far too long, specifically since 2015. Nearly a decade has passed, and the team’s fans are starting to grow impatient.

Last season, everything seemed to be going smoothly for Xavi Hernandez’s side in Europe, but a mistake by center-back Ronald Araújo in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain ruined their run. Now, with Hansi Flick at the helm, Blaugrana can dream of a perfect outcome.

Seeking Revenge Against Their Opponent

It’s quite interesting that Barcelona’s first opponent in this season’s Champions League is AS Monaco, as the two teams just met in August. At that time, Blaugrana invited the French team to participate in the Joan Gamper Trophy—a friendly tournament that the Catalan giants host annually.

Surprisingly, it was a match where Hansi Flick’s squad suffered a comprehensive 0-3 defeat. Of course, it was just a friendly meant to warm up both teams, but for Barcelona fans, the team needs to “seek revenge” with a win. What could be better than defeating Monaco on their home ground, Stade Louis II, tomorrow?

The Anticipated Pairing of Two Young Talents

In recent years, La Masia, Barcelona’s academy, has continuously provided promising stars for the team in the Champions League, such as Pedri, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, and Pau Cubarsi. However, when we talk about the title of “wonderkids,” we need to mention the duo of forwards Ansu Fati and Lamine Yamal.

Yamal has been thriving, as everyone knows, and he is sure to feature in tomorrow’s match as the right winger. On the opposite side, many Barca fans are eager to see Fati after a long period of injuries and loan spells.

Coach Hansi Flick has hinted that Ansu Fati might feature in the match against Monaco tomorrow, although likely only from the bench. Regardless, even seeing Yamal and Fati together for just a few minutes would certainly excite fans.