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Arsenal vs. AS Monaco: 2 Key Battles to Watch

Reuters

theScore’s Gordon Brunt and Carlo Campo examine two key matchups that will play a significant role in determining who emerges victorious from the first leg of the round of 16 tie between Arsenal and AS Monaco.

Gordon Brunt: Alexis Sanchez vs. Layvin Kurzawa

While AS Monaco lack the excitement and high-profile footballers that returned the club to Europe’s biggest stage, the French squad are a tricky challenger for an Arsenal team weary to get too optimistic about its odds of advancing past the Round of 16 for the first time in five seasons.

The Ligue 1 team enter the contest with one of the tournament’s best defensive records after conceding a ridiculous one goal in six games. However, none of their group stage opponents enjoyed the luxury of having a player with the quality Alexis Sanchez possess.

The Chilean forward poses a threat in every match he features with his ferocious style and reputation for opportunistically finding space when roaming throughout the Arsenal attack.

Making himself available and creating space are threats that will surely cause headaches Wednesday. Monaco’s patience will be tested with his confidence on the ball and fearless approach in one-on-one battles as committing a foul will be one of the few options when he’s running through the back line.

Making the task of controlling Sanchez and Arsenal’s bevy of attacking options harder is the absence of Monaco’s defensive anchor Jeremy Toulalan. One of the squad’s promising group of youngsters that could be assigned the tough task of limiting space for Sanchez is Layvin Kurzawa.

Kurzawa may not be given the freedom to join Monaco’s attack on the left flank as the team’s approach to start the two-legged affair may be a less than exciting brand of football while they sit back and try to get a feel for their opponents.

The hosts should see the majority of possession go in their favour, but Monaco’s cautious approach could benefit Kurzawa and the rest of the youthful back line if they execute a disciplined style of game where limiting space and frustrating Arsenal with physical play will be the ingredients needed for success.

Sanchez, however, has proven he’s not one to shy away from contact and could exploit the team’s inexperience while he wreaks havoc in the final third. Not even the attention required to limit his impact will help, as defenders will likely get caught out of position while they flock to him.

Carlo Campo: Mesut Ozil vs. Joao Moutinho

The absence of Jeremy Toulalan presents Monaco with something of a dilemma.

Toulalan provided Leonardo Jardim's side with a presence in front of their backline that led to the club only conceding one goal through their six group-stage fixtures. But with Toulalan suspended for the first leg, someone will inevitably have to drop back to contain Mesut Ozil, whose ability to carve through the middle of the pitch will likely keep Monaco on their heels for a significant portion of the tie.

That someone should be Joao Moutinho, who notched one goal and one assist in the group stage.

With Toulalan out, Moutinho will be expected to drop into a deeper position and help break up Arsenal's attacks before Monaco's backline is called into action. Arsenal possess a phenomenal ability to move the ball in the final third, and such threats often come via Ozil down the middle of the pitch.

If Moutinho is able to contain Ozil and help Monaco escape the Emirates Stadium with a favourable result, he'll then be able to return to a more characteristic attacking role for the second leg in mid-March when Toulalan returns. However, there's obviously the possibility of that match being irrelevant if Ozil and others are able to pick apart Monaco's defense on Wednesday.

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