Two games in to Group J of the Europa League and it has been two draws so far for Monaco. Nathan Staples previews their third group match. Now they face off against, admittedly, the ‘minnows’ of the group in Qarabag but the Azerbaijan champions have a win under their belts and can pose a real threat tonight.

Based off their solid defence, showcased against everyone bar Tottenham so far, the Baku club may look to sit back and counter in the principality but how Monaco set up could be key. A win in this one and they have a real chance of qualifying for the next round.

Team News

Adama Traore will definitely miss out after being ruled out for at least three months with a broken ankle. Fabio Coentrao, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Helder Costa, Almamy Traore and Fares Bahlouli will all miss out but Nabil Dirar will be available after missing out at the weekend.

With limited options, Monaco may begin with a similar line-up to that which started against Lyon on Friday night, although Stephan El Shaarawy may get a start ahead of Lacina Traore.

Qarabag have no major injury worries but there could be a sighting of a former Ligue 1 player, with former Lens man Alharbi El Jadeyaoui in the Azrbaijan side’s ranks

Also a familiar face to Ligue 2 viewers, Rydell Poepon could feature, who spent last season on loan with Valencienne where he scored seven goals in 35 appearances.

Their coach, former Azerbaijan international Gurban Gurbanov, is still his nation’s highest-scoring player with 12 goals and along with being the most successful Azerbaijani manager in European competitions, he has lead his side to consecutive league titles.

Danger Men

Stephan El Shaarawy (Monaco) – The young Italian has not exactly set the world alight so far since his loan move from AC Milan but he is always a danger and this could be a real chance for him to boost his confidence.

If he can start applying himself a little more and giving himself a little more freedom, he could become a huge player for Monaco going forward and he should see this as a real opportunity to kick-start a stuttering opening to the season.

Richard Almeida (Qarabag) – Scoring in every Europa League game so far, Monaco will need to keep tabs on Richard Almeida. The Brazilian has also hit five goals in six games domestically and is the main source of goals in the Qarabag team.

Jardim’s defence has been pretty leaky this season and that will suit Almeida down to the ground, with the attacker having a keen eye for a goal and should Monaco want to keep this tight, they should really man mark him out of the game.

Prediction

This looks like a tricky one on paper but the real water test for Qarabag was against Tottenham and they could not hold on to their slender early lead. Monaco need to treat this much like a Ligue 1 game and establish an early advantage so that a sticky side don’t become any more sticky as the game goes on.

That being said, treating it like a Ligue 1 game might be poor advice given their record so far but this should be a safe win for Jardim’s men here. They have enough quality in the bank and while the Azerbaijan side will put up a fight, a goal at any time could see their confidence sap.

Anything less than that and they will have an incredibly tough time in getting out of the group. They should know the importance of this one, especially on France’s European co-efficient, and it could quite easily be a springboard to a vein of better form.

Result: Monaco 2-0 Qarabag

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Eric Devin assesses the French performances on an extremely difficult, but beautiful night for France and for football.

Hugo Lloris – 6 

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Did well to get down quickly after some sharp interchanges between Clyne and Sterling early on, but will have been disappointed to let Alli score from distance.

Bacary Sagna – 6.5 

Kept Kieran Gibbs largely under wraps by virtue of being positioned so high up the pitch, but displayed little quality in his attacking contributions.

Raphael Varane – 5.5 

For a defender whose biggest asset is his pace, he looked largely off it tonight, failing to establish the rapport with Koscielny that was on display against the Germans.

Laurent Koscielny – 6.5 

Was embarrassed by Rooney midway through the first half, but otherwise generally assured.

Lucas Digne – 5 

Got forward demonstratively in the opening stages, but influence waned as the match wore on. If Evra’s place in the eleven wasn’t already cemented, it is now.

Yohan Cabaye – 7 

Probably the best of France’s starting eleven; failed to be involved much going forward, but started a handful of counterattacks quite well and tackling and positioning was fine indeed.

Blaise Matuidi – 6 

Played some nice stuff with Martial on several occasions, but was the poorest of France’s midfield three.

Morgan Schneiderlin – 6.5 

While the Manchester United man doesn’t offer as much as Deschamps’ other options going forward, his passing was generally crisp and assured, a fairly mistake-free match.

Hatem Ben Arfa – 5.5

Eager to make a good impression, like Digne, his early energy soon dimmed, undone by a consistently poor touch. An exciting player on his day, he doesn’t look cut out to be a part of this 4-3-3.

Andre-Pierre Gignac – 5 

Another fringe player, Gignac showed a willingness to get about originally, but was never on the same wavelength as Martial and Ben Arfa, failing to trouble Hart.

Anthony Martial – 6 

A frustrating evening for the youngster; with Dier sitting deep, he was rarely afforded space in the box. Could’ve been less selfish at times. The best of France’s front three, but that’s not really saying much.

Substitutes:

Paul Pogba – 7 

Consistently inventive and tricky, the big Juventus man’s gifts were somewhat lost owing to a lack of chemistry with front three.

Kingsley Coman – 6 

An anonymous performance from the Bayern youngster, although Gibbs had as much to do with that as anyone.

Lassana Diarra – 7 

Probably Les Bleus’ best player, delivered an assured and confident performance at the base of midfield, getting forward when needed, but also doing much to limit the involvement of England’s attack, who consistently forced wide.

Olivier Giroud – 6

Much like Gignac, cut a frustrated figure. No service made the Arsenal forward visibly unhappy on more than one occasion.

Moussa Sissoko – N/A 

The former Toulouse man left little impression besides a cynical challenge on Shelvey.

According to Foot Mercato, Lyon right-back Christophe Jallet will be out of action for 2 months after suffering a rib injury.

It is understood that the French international has actually broken a rib and he will now not play until 2016.

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Speaking to Le Progrès, Lyon President Jean Michel Aulas has slammed his players for sub-par performances in recent weeks.

“The principal people responsible are the players. The lack of confidence is obvious as is this inability to fight back. Are the players aware that they lose value when they are bad? I did not recognize Milan Bisevac. I also saw the errors of Claudio Beauvue, who is having many difficulties even doer Alex’s goal he did a good header. He wanted to join a top club, here he is, but the chemistry with Alexandre Lacazette has not been found.”

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PSG defender David Luiz had admitted in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche that he is scared of ending up bald and commented on his rather unique hairstyle.

“I know I look crazy but I am not! It is just hair… Yes my father is bald. But I found a way to save my hair.”

The Brazilian has found a miracle cure that a man from Diadema, a town near Sao Paulo, has come up with:

“I met with a doctor in Brazil, who has developed a special treatment. It takes some cells from here (your hip) and then relocates then. I will do it. In ten years it will be the solution for people who have lost their hair. You should try it!”

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Ligue 1 side Marseille will not stand in Steve Mandanda’s way if he decides that he would like to move to Aston Villa next month.

The player has the blessing of OM if he wants to leave because of the years of service that he has given to the club. It remains to be seen however whether or not Mandanda wants to take the risk to join the bottom Premier League side.

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Lille have announced the signing of experienced French attacking player Morgan Amalfitano on a free transfer on a 2.5 year contract.

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Amalfitano successfully underwent a medical yesterday with the Ligue 1 side and is set to be followed by Rony Lopes on loan from Monaco in the next 24 hours.

Amalfitano reportedly also had an offer from Aston Villa on the table.

The New Year brings a host of new changes for Lyon, with this match against Troyes the first at their new stadium as well as the first under the leadership of new coach Bruno Genesio. What Lyon really need right now, though, is a change in form, as they head into this match having lost five of their last six league games, a run of results that has left them languishing in ninth place.

Troyes will also be hoping 2016 brings with it new luck, as they continue their quest for their first league win. It will come of no surprise then that the visitors are rooted to the bottom of the table, 13 points from safety, although they have managed to avoid defeat in their last three league outings.

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Earlier this season, Lyon beat Troyes 1-0 at the Stade de l’Aube, thanks to a Claudio Beauvue penalty.

R.B.

Ligue 2 side AS Nancy have confirmed the departure of young central midfielder Remi Walter to top flight side OGC Nice.

The fee is understood to be worth €1m and represents fantastic business from Les Aiglons.

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Ligue 2 side Auxerre have confirmed the arrival of Lille striker Sehrou Guirassy on loan until the end of the season.

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Guirassy has struggled to received adequate playing time at Lille and there will be no buy option included in the deal.