AS Monaco without several key players ahead of Aston Villa tie | OneFootball

At AS Monaco, all focus is on the club’s impending Ligue 1 encounter against Montpellier HSC on Friday night as they look to get their stuttering domestic campaign back on track. However, there is the spectre of a big UEFA Champions League encounter against Aston Villa on Tuesday night. It is a match in which the Principality club can mathematically ensure their progression to the next stage of the competition, however, they may be without some key players.

Folarin Balogun is a more long-term absentee. The USMNT forward suffered a dislocated shoulder in October and was then forced to undergo surgery in December. A return sometime in March has been touted. George Ilenikena is also out with an adductor injury with Adi Hütter confirming that the forward would miss between three to four weeks.

However, there are two more absentees. Both Wilfried Singo and Denis Zakaria have been left out of Monaco’s matchday squad to face Montpellier. The former was withdrawn early on against Stade de Reims in midweek with a minor back issue. Zakaria, meanwhile, is suffering with illness.

Both players, crucial to this Monaco side, are now in a race against time in order to feature against Aston Villa in the Champions League on Tuesday.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle