Preview: Zakaria, Fati and Akliouche in focus ahead of AS Monaco’s trip to Lille

AS Monaco coach Adi Hütter, accompanied by general manager Thiago Scuro, as well as English defender Eric Dier, spoke ahead of the side’s second Ligue 1 fixture against Lille this Sunday.

Improvement needed

While the Red and Whites secured victory in their opening outing against Le Havre (3-1), not everything was perfect, and the Monaco machine had some areas of improvement to find before being as oiled as hoped. In this context, “do better” was the message from manager Adi Hütter ahead of the tough clash vs LOSC. “In terms of performance, our team is capable of doing much, much better than against Le Havre. We need to – because it will be a more open match.”

While Lille have notably lost Lucas Chevalier, Bafodé Diakité, Jonathan David, Gabriel Gudmunsson and Rémy Cabella, Monaco won’t be underestimating Les Dogues, who still possess an extremely talented squad.

“You can’t compare the Le Havre match to the Lille match because Le Havre play a completely different kind of football. LOSC is one of the best teams at home, second I think after PSG. We lost twice there, and we deserved it,” he insisted.

“Now we want to do much better. We’re facing a top team. They have a somewhat new team, but they’re strong at home. We’re looking forward to facing them.”

Giroud vs Dier battle rekindled

Among the notable arrivals for Lille is 2018 World Cup winner and Les Bleus’ all-time top scorer, Olivier Giroud. Having scored last Saturday vs HAC, ASM’s new defender, Eric Dier, mentioned he was relishing the prospect to once again face a foe he’s familiar with from their past duels for club and country.

“I’ve had the opportunity to play against him many times, especially during his time at Arsenal and Chelsea, but also with the national team. I think he was one of the most underrated strikers in England at that time,” Dier stated.

“Everyone knows his qualities; he’s very good with the ball and very strong in duels. I expect to see the same player again, because he really takes care of himself, so he certainly hasn’t lost any of his power. I can’t wait to face him again.”

The cases of Ansu Fati, Denis Zakaria and Maghnes Akliouche

It was confirmed ASM will not be able to count on Ansu Fati, as the Spanish recruit will not be in the squad for the trip to Lille. But he positively could be back in contention after the international break in September. Precautions are in order around the former FC Barcelona player, particularly due to his fragility at the start of recent seasons. “He’s a very good player. Everyone knows that. But in football, you also need to be in good physical condition. That’s why we’re protecting him a little longer than the others,” said the Austrian tactician.

It’s hard not to bring up one of the other hot topics of the moment. Courted in Saudi Arabia, the name of AS Monaco captain Denis Zakaria was on everyone’s lips this week. Announced as leaving by some French media, the Swiss midfielder will ultimately be staying on the Rock. “We treated the offer with respect, and we decided that the best decision was to continue together. There was no friction, no conflict,” explained Thiago Scuro, the club’s general manager. “We were able to discuss it calmly, then move on. The matter is closed.”

Maghnes Akliouche has also attracted the interest of several European giants during the summer. But with roughly ten days left in the transfer window, the AS Monaco playmaker is crucially still with the Principality club.

“I have the feeling he’s very involved. There are rumours about him, which is normal because he’s improved enormously over the past two years. He also showed us against Le Havre that he can score and be involved in the preparation for goals. He’s an interesting player for a lot of teams, we’ll see what happens with Maghnes. I have the impression he’s completely focused on the situation, and that’s, for me, the most important thing,” commented the 55-year-old coach.

Lille awaits

Fully focused on the challenge of Lille this weekend, Hütter and his troops will need to be at a level nearing their best to take home all three points from this immensely difficult road encounter, as they look to make it two wins from two to kick off their 2025/2026 campaign.