Monaco will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Rennes when they welcome Strasbourg to the Stade Louis-II for the fifth round of fixtures in the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign.
In contrast, Strasbourg finally managed to get off the mark in the top flight as they overcame fellow strugglers Dijon 1-0 last weekend.
Match preview
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Rennes and Monaco had both enjoyed unbeaten starts to the season before the two sides faced off in the pick of the fixtures in gameweek four, but Niko Kovac's men ultimately came up short against their fellow high-flyers last Saturday.
Wissam Ben Yedder rifled in the opener for Monaco before Steven Nzonzi restored parity for Rennes, who were then indebted to Adrien Truffert as the substitute bagged the winner for the Champions League contenders in the dying embers of the match.
It was a devastating way for Monaco to suffer their first defeat of the new league campaign, but a clash with an out-of-sorts Strasbourg side represents the perfect opportunity for Kovac's men to put things right as they bid to return to European competition this time around.
Monaco can certainly be encouraged by their home form heading into the fifth gameweek of the season - Les Monegasques have only suffered two league defeats at the Stade Louis-II since last September, winning nine of their last 13 on familiar territory.
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Meanwhile, Strasbourg's fortunes were looking bleak following three losses from their opening three matches, and in gameweek four, they were facing off against a Dijon side with a similarly woeful record.
In the end, Thierry Laurey's men prevailed in that bottom-of-the-table clash courtesy of Stefan Mitrovic's header in the 80th minute, and Strasbourg have lifted themselves out of the automatic drop zone for now.
However, Laurey's men would do extremely well to keep that momentum going, as Strasbourg's clash with Monaco represents the first of three testing fixtures to come for the strugglers, with Lille and Lyon lying in wait for Laurey's side over the next few weeks.
While Strasbourg are certainly not expected to take all three points against Monaco, Lorient and Metz - whom they are level on points with - are playing Lyon and Marseille respectively, so Strasbourg are unlikely to fall any further behind after this weekend.
Strasbourg have actually beaten Monaco in three of the last four meetings between the two sides, with Laurey's men picking up a 3-1 victory in this fixture last season.
Monaco Ligue 1 form: DWWL
Strasbourg Ligue 1 form: LLLW
Team News
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Monaco's solitary injury concern is Aleksandr Golovin, who will be sidelined for a little while longer with a hamstring injury.
Other than that, Kovac has a fully-fit squad at his disposal for the showdown with Strasbourg, with Fode Ballo-Toure vying for a recall at left-back over Djibril Sidibe.
Gelson Martins and Henry Onyekuru both relinquished their places up top to Sofiane Diop and Kevin Volland respectively against Rennes, so Kovac has some tough calls to make when it comes to who will support Ben Yedder in attack.
As for Strasbourg, goalkeeper Matz Sels is a long-term absentee, while Lamine Kone and Lebo Mothiba are not expected back for another few weeks at least.
Dimitri Lienard came off the bench to provide the assist for Mitrovic's winner against Dijon and could feature from the first whistle here.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Aguilar, Badiashile, Disasi, Ballo-Toure; Tchouameni, Fofana, Fabregas; Martins, Ben Yedder, Volland
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Kamara; Lala, Simakan, Mitrovic, Caci; Djiku, Lienard, Sissoko; Thomasson; Waris, Ajorque
We say: Monaco 2-0 Strasbourg
In spite of the fact that Monaco suffered a disheartening loss to Rennes last weekend, Kovac's men should have too much quality for a struggling Strasbourg side. The visitors can boast a strong recent record against their opponents, but Monaco are vastly improved from last season and we expect the hosts to record a straightforward victory on Sunday.
