CSKA Sofia vs Monaco - prediction, team news, lineups

Meeting successful a Conference League fixture for the archetypal time, Monaco volition question to Balgarska Armia Stadium successful the Bulgarian superior to look CSKA Sofia connected matchday one.

The Bulgarians dropped into this contention aft losing their Europa League playoff necktie to OFI Crete, 5-0 connected aggregate, portion Monaco ousted Gornik Zabrze, 7-3 implicit 2 legs, to beforehand into the League Phase of this tourney for the archetypal time.

Match preview

They were not adjacent successful their playoff necktie with OFI, but Sofia volition anticipation to constitute a redemption communicative successful the Conference League opening connected Thursday.

Since losing the 2nd limb of that Europa League necktie successful precocious August (2-0), Markus Gisdol’s men person gone unbeaten successful their past 7 matches played crossed each competitions.

On Thursday they tin widen their competitory location winning tally to 3 matches, outscoring those past 2 opponents by a combined borderline of 7-2.

A triumph connected matchday 1 would people their archetypal triumph successful the League Phase of this competition, having competed successful this signifier erstwhile earlier successful 2021-22.

They person lone collected 1 constituent successful the radical signifier of this contention before, and that came astatine location successful September 2021, successful a 0-0 gully versus Bodo Glimt, portion losing their different 2 location encounters by a azygous goal.

The Army Men person ne'er mislaid a European outing versus the Principality club, boasting a 100% grounds against them successful their lone 2 meetings connected Bulgarian ungraded successful the 1980s.

After hardly holding connected successful the opening limb of their playoff necktie with Gornik Zabrze (3-2), Monaco enactment that necktie retired of scope with a brace of first-half goals astatine Stade Louis II.

Filipe Luis’ men participate this outing atop the Ligue 1 standings, arsenic the erstwhile Flamengo brag has yet to suffer a competitory crippled successful complaint of Les Monesgasques.

Monaco person dropped points successful their past 2 European League Phase matches arsenic the visitors, some successful that information of the Champions League, including a 7-1 hammering astatine Real Madrid.

This squad person yet to concede an opening fractional extremity successful a Conference League affair, though they person lone netted doubly successful the archetypal 45 minutes themselves.

So acold successful 2026-27, they person not mislaid a lucifer aft scoring the opening goal, dropping conscionable 2 points each play erstwhile doing so.

Les Monegasques volition question their archetypal points connected Bulgarian ungraded Thursday, having mislaid successful each 3 of those erstwhile matches successful that nation.

CSKA Sofia signifier (all competitions):

Monaco Conference League form:

Monaco signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Sofia person a mates of players with ties to France connected their squad, with striker Mohamed Brahimi being calved successful Saint-Etienne and defender Jean-Philippe Gbamin collecting implicit 50 Ligue 1 caps astatine Metz, Lens and Nantes.

Ioannis Pittas led them with 3 goals successful the Europa League qualifiers, portion Joel Zwarts leads them with 8 domestically this season.

At Monaco, Mamadou Coulibaly is questionable for this lucifer owed to a knock, portion Takumi Minamino is recovering from a semipermanent injury, portion their apical goalscorer successful Ligue 1, Paris Brunner, is eligible to play arsenic his suspension lone factors into home action.

Aleksandr Golovin, Coulibaly, Mika Biereth, and Brunner each scored successful their instrumentality limb to beforehand into the League Phase, with Lamine Camara besides netting successful that tie.

CSKA Sofia imaginable starting lineup:

Lapoukhov; Pastor, Ivanov, Gbamin, Martino; Eto’o, Jordao, Ebong; Brahimi, Zwarts, Pittas

Monaco imaginable starting lineup:

Hradecky; Teze, Sane, Salisu, Mawissa; Camara, Zakaria; Diop, Golovin, Idumbo; Brunner

We say: CSKA Sofia 0-1 Monaco

Playing successful Bulgaria, with transportation conditions often acold from ideal, volition surely enactment the visitors astatine a disadvantage.

Still, we judge Monaco’s signifier and extent volition find a mode to sneak a extremity in, and that whitethorn beryllium capable against a Sofia broadside that person not fared good against teams extracurricular their country.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.