Tottenham vs Monaco preview: French visitors aim for another North London scalp at White Hart Lane
The Monégasques are confident of overcoming Spurs after beating Arsenal on their own turf last season
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Your support makes all the difference.Earlier this calendar year, Les Rouges et Blancs arrived at The Emirates with few expecting them to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Yet strikes from Geoffrey Kondogbia, Dimitar Berbatov and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco secured a 3-1 away victory that the Gunners could not overturn in the second leg.
Tonight, the visitors to White Hart Lane need to complete a 2015 North London double to have any chance of qualifying from the Europa League group stage. If Anderlecht are unable to beat Qarabağ in Brussels, the door will be left ajar for Monaco to pounce with a victory against Spurs. Meanwhile the hosts have to obtain a point to be sure of landing top spot in Group J.
Former Chelsea centre-back Ricardo Carvalho recognises the difficulty of travelling to White Hart Lane, but also stated that the Arsenal away performance would stand his team in good stead: “It’s a small stadium but it’s fiery. We cannot focus on the atmosphere. Last season, we tackled the Arsenal match very well – this is the same.”
Portuguese talisman João Moutinho was reluctant to lean on that memory though, declaring: “The Champions League and that match against Arsenal belong in the past. We are looking at what’s in front of us.”
The midfielder may be wise to encourage a fresh outlook on tonight’s game, considering that the three goalscorers from that Champions League match have now departed – along with Anthony Martial of course.
Moutinho remains as the fulcrum of the side, but it is now former Everton loanee Lacina Traoré who leads the attack in place of Berbatov. Standing at 6ft 8in, the Ivorian provides more of a physical presence than his former languid teammate. The “Gentle Giant” is currently in good form as well, having notched two goals in Monaco’s victory at Bastia last weekend.
Another attacking threat comes from right-back Almamy Touré. The youngster makes effective overlapping and underlapping runs which gives him an air of unpredictability. Ben Davies will have to be cautious in his defensive approach to shackle the Malian youngster who made his full debut in that famous upset at The Emirates.
Tonight, it is imperative that they exhibit the same sort of courage that they displayed against the Gunners – if not; they will face the reality of elimination.
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