Conference League: Monaco look to seal league phase place
AS Monaco will host Polish side Górnik Zabrze in tomorrow's second leg of their Conference League playoff -- get the latest from the Ligue 1 McDonald's team with our match preview.
Monaco grow in confidence
Coming into this match after successive wins -- the first leg of this tie and a 1-0 victory over Le Havre -- the Principality side will be brimming with confidence, even if their victory over the Norman club was a nervy one, requiring some canny play from Lukas Hradecký in the second half. Their strong start to the season has come despite the departure of Maghnes Akliouche, as well as the continued absences of Folarin Balogun, Ansu Fati and summer signing Matthis Abline, each of whom would reasonably be expected to start in a match of this magnitude.
Under new manager Filipe Luis, the club have evinced a combative yet progressive style of play to great effect, even as they've restructured their defence with the return of Eric Dier and the inclusion of two new arrivals -- Nazinho and Sadibou Sané -- into their first-choice back four. Luis has also been quick to incorporate Stanis Idumbo, a young Belgian who featured sparingly last season but has expressed himself under the Brazilian.
Speaking pre-match, Idumbo emphasized he's eager to continue to repay the manager's faith, saying, "Last season was tough for me, but it helped me grow. Looking back, I'm proud of myself because there were some very difficult periods, but I persevered and kept working hard. I kept my head up and showed everyone that I am not a quitter. All I want today is to play, enjoy my football to the fullest, and help the team. Obviously, I'm in the position I've always wanted to be in, but now I just have to make sure I don't let the manager down, so I'm going to give it my all and do everything I can to be an important player for the team."
🇲🇨 De retour à 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐨 !
Jeudi, nous recevrons Zabrze au 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬-𝐈𝐈, pour le match retour des barrages de 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞́𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ! pic.twitter.com/vcT03Yz5Au— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) August 24, 2026
Górnik riding high domestically
Following a narrow loss to Fenerbahçe in Champions League Qualifying, Górnik have been sharper domestically. Despite having had two matches postponed owing to their European endeavours (they were also eliminated by Ferencvaros in the Europa League), they sit second in the Polish league table, with three wins from three. As they showed in the first leg, despite going 2-0 and 3-1 down, they continued to battle and remain a dangerous opponent.
Predicted lineups:
AS Monaco (4-4-1-1): Hradecky; Vanderson, Sané, Dier, Nazinho (or Mawissa); Detourbet, Camara, Zakaria, Idumbo; Golovin; Biereth
Górnik Zabrze (4-3-3): Schuzle; Sacek, Janicki, Josema, Janza; Sadilek, Dietz, Bernardo; Federico, Prekop, Khlan
Read more:
>> Freedom & Stability: Filipe Luis makes his mark at Monaco
