Montpellier vs Monaco

Stade de la Mosson sets the stage for a potentially high-scoring Ligue 1 showdown between Montpellier and Monaco. 

Montpellier left it late to beat Toulouse 2-1 on the road last time out, but they couldn’t care less about the aesthetics after assembling a six-game unbeaten league run for the first time this season (W4, D2). Buoyed by a mighty run down the final stretch, Michel Der Zakarian’s men no longer have to worry about their top-flight status and could start thinking about a top-half finish. The impending home return comes in handy, with ‘La Paillade’ going unbeaten in four of their last five Ligue 1 matches at this venue (W2, D2) while scoring 2+ goals on four occasions! However, this fixture could go either way, not least because the last four top-flight meetings between Montpellier and Monaco here have fluctuated between wins and losses (W2, L2).

Visiting Monaco will be out to buck that trend after running out 2-0 victors in this match-up last term and an identical home triumph in this season’s reverse fixture. The visitors wasted no time bouncing back from a shock 3-2 loss at Lyon, dispatching Clermont 4-1 at home last weekend to make it five wins in six Ligue 1 games (L1). Adi Hutter’s men have traveled strongly in 2024, claiming five wins in seven away league matches (D1, L1) while netting over 1.5 goals six times! Maintaining such an imperious road record would see Monaco secure a runner-up finish with a game to spare. You’d expect nothing less from a side that has scored 2+ goals in their last three away encounters against Montpellier.