Real Madrid – AS Monaco

Real Madrid players have something to prove to the new coach.

At Real Madrid's camp in the last couple of weeks there have been so many events that it's unlikely any other European club has been discussed so fervently. From the capital of Spain came so many rumors about Xabi Alonso's impending dismissal that, it seemed, all that was needed was a pretext. And such a pretext became the Whites' defeat in Saudi Arabia in the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. No, this tournament isn't a priority for the royal club, and the hopeless football of the country's runner-up didn't impress, losing 2-3 and having two serious chances to come back at the end. However this was enough to dismiss Xabi Alonso and quickly appoint Álvaro Arbeloa, who was already prepared for this purpose. Under the leadership of this specialist, Real Madrid immediately crashed out of the Copa del Rey at the Round of 16 stage, which caused another wave of criticism aimed at the already dismissed Xabi Alonso. However, Arbeloa as a coach has managed to rehabilitate himself with a comfortable victory over Levante in La Liga, but the real influence on the fate of the young specialist may be determined by the upcoming Champions League match. Monaco is having a very bad season. In October last year Sébastien Pocognoli was appointed as head coach of Monaco, but the Belgian has not managed to fix the team's performance. Before heading to Madrid, Monaco, at home, suffered a shameful 1-3 defeat to Lorient. This left the club in the middle of Ligue 1 standings. If such a defeat is followed by a successful result in Madrid, the fans will undoubtedly forgive the Monaco players. However, in the elite European competition the Monégasques are not doing well either. In the current Champions League draw, Monaco has managed to beat only Bodø/Glimt and Galatasaray, while away they were defeated 1-4 by Club Brugge. Monaco is now in nineteenth place in the group-stage standings with nine points. Surely ten points will be enough to reach the playoff round. In this regard, Monaco will be counting on a draw in Madrid, but Pocognoli's plans could collapse in the most painful way, because Real Madrid players have something to prove to the new coach.