Soccer Champions League

Having Home Leg First Is An Advantage For Arsenal Against AS Monaco

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

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For once, having the home leg first up in their Champions League second round matchup with AS Monaco is going to prove an advantage, rather than the opposite, for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal on Wednesday.

Usually, being at home in the second leg is more preferable for teams, because then, knowing what result is needed to advance the the next phase, the home side can go about their business whilst being roared on by their home fans. Anything is possible at home, right? Most results in the away leg give you some kind of chance on home turf the second time around.

But that’s not necessarily the best formula for Arsenal on this occasion, with Monaco having every intention of defending deep and keeping the game close in both the home and away legs. Defending is Monaco’s strength, not their attack, and in an ideal world, the Ligue 1 outfit would look to frustrate the Gunners and keep a clean sheet in the first leg — preferably with a slim advantage — and then set out to do the same in the second leg — all whilst hoping for a decisive goal somewhere in between.

But Arsenal can throw that plan out of the window with a win via a couple of goals margin or more in the first game at home. Away from home, that can be a tough ask in a first leg, but at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal should be fully capable of a decisive victory if they move the ball quickly, play at a high tempo and stay alert when defending both set pieces and the counter-attack.

Monaco would then have no option but to abandon their preferred defensive tactics and attack instead in the second leg. However, this is not their strength and would actually play into Arsenal’s hands, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud only too happy to accept the space that an open, attack minded Monaco would then offer up. An away goal would then effectively, in that scenario, kill the game dead for the Gunners.

The tie is a game of cat and mouse in many ways with attack vs. defense, but a clear win in the first game at home would give Arsenal the upper hand in more ways than one. And that opportunity is one the Premier League team must take advantage of in the first leg and not allow their French opponents to play their way and attempt to steal a ticket to the next round.

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