In brief

Preview: Hutter talks Auxerre and upcoming UCL play-off clash vs. Benfica

Speaking ahead of AS Monaco’s Ligue 1 match with Auxerre and after the Champions League play-off draw that confirmed ASM would play Benfica, Adi Hutter insightfully shared his thoughts on these topics and more.

UCL draw

First on the agenda was Les Monegasques being pitted against Benfica in the UCL play-offs, and Hutter offered a typically astute response, with him notably glad to have avoided facing Paris Saint-Germain again.

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“I didn’t have any particular desire. But to be honest, playing Paris Saint-Germain five times in two months would have been a lot. That’s why we still prefer to face Benfica, because it would have been a shame to come up against a team from our league. On a sporting level, Benfica is a high-quality team, and we saw that a month and a half ago at home. It’s also a club that has a great history in the Champions League, and has won it twice,” Hutter reflected.

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He then added this on their UCL loss vs. Benfica, a match that Monaco really should have won: “Against them we played a great game during the league phase, before Wilfried Singo was sent off. We inevitably suffered afterwards with two superb assists from Angel Di Maria. Now we have this two-way clash against them, especially in this magnificent stadium that is the Estadio da Luz. We will be ready for these two games.

“For me there is no revenge to be taken, it is a two-legged play-off, and I see it as an opportunity for us to qualify for the next round of the Champions League. I think there will be another referee, but I don’t like to talk about that too much. It is obvious that the situation was strange during this match, on certain actions and even in the communication with the players. We were getting cards very quickly, but I think he wasn’t having a very good day. I’m sure it will be different this time, even if the referee wasn’t at fault for our defeat, because we should have defended better. But now it will be a different story.”

Inter loss

Next on the docket was Hutter’s take on his team’s disappointing loss vs. Inter Milan, where Christian Mawissa’s early red card made it an even more difficult night at the office.

“We played in special circumstances in Milan after the red card at the very beginning of the game. Some players weren’t mentally ready, especially in that first quarter of an hour with the second goal. We are guilty of making those two mistakes in the first 15 minutes. And then, after the sending off, it was difficult to fight on equal terms with ten against eleven at this level in the Champions League,” he said.

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“A defeat is a defeat, and now the match against Auxerre will be totally different. Once again, I am not 100% satisfied with not having been able to face this team with eleven. But I also want to congratulate my players for not giving up and for defending with courage, even if Inter were logically the better team. It is a good lesson for us and for the players to see at what level these types of teams play at. The match against Auxerre will be very different at home, and we want to go for a second victory in a row in the league.”

UCL reflections

His overall opinion on his team’s UCL league phase exertions made for great listening too, as Hutter was proud and full of positivity about them progressing to the play-offs.

“We must now put this Inter match out of our heads, even if I am happy and proud of this qualification for the play-offs with 13 points, especially when we think back to the context of the Aston Villa match, where we were under pressure. And then we must not forget that four teams that we faced finished in the top eight, so we can be very proud to present this record,” stated the Austrian manager.

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“This was one of our goals for the season. When we see that even Dinamo Zagreb was eliminated with 11 points, we can be even more proud. We can be criticised on some points, but we can be happy with this performance.”

Biereth

How nicely January signing Mika Biereth has integrated into the squad was then touched on by the experienced tactician.

“For his first match in Montpellier, he showed very interesting movements and positioning. We asked our number 10s, who can deliver very good balls to our attackers, to be closer to him. Which meant he had a fantastic first half against Rennes,” insisted the 54-year-old.

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“His match was very good, he helped us a lot in the game, but also with his goal for his first at home in Ligue 1. He has a different profile than Breel Embolo, and I am happy to have him among us. Pairing Breel and Mika? I think they can actually play together, because they are complementary, where Breel and George have a bit of the same profile.”

Auxerre awaits

Auxerre was the final matter of discussion, and the ASM boss was keen to stress the importance of this fixture and how AJA are a team not to be underestimated. 

“We actually want to continue our march forward in the championship against AJA, against whom we must go for the victory. Because when you look at the standings, there are many teams behind us, the battle is very tight and everyone is dangerous,” commented Hutter.

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“We have a lot of respect for Auxerre, who pulled off a big win in Marseille (1-3), before drawing with Lille recently (0-0), and who have good players like Gaetan Perrin, Hamed Junior Traore and Lassine Sinayoko who can be dangerous. But at home, in front of our fans, we want to win!”

Game on

Currently sitting third in Ligue 1, just three points off Marseille in second, securing a victory over Auxerre is particularly vital ahead of their trip to take on the mighty PSG next Friday night, which will be a real blockbuster under the lights at the Parc des Princes.