Focus on Angers SCO
It’s a second match in three days for AS Monaco. The Rouge et Blanc will host Angers this Saturday at the Stade Louis-II (9 p.m. behind closed doors), as part of the 19th and final day of the first half of the Ligue 1 season. Le SCO has become over the last few years a fixture of the French top flight, as Niko Kovac remarked in his pre-match press conference. Reinforced last summer by the arrival of goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni, the Angevins have been one of the surprise packages since the start of the league season.
An eye-catching team
This season, the team’s captain, Ismaël Traoré, is the only player to have played all of the team’s first 18 matches. The Center-Val de Loire side has also relied on Stéphane Bahoken, the team’s top scorer with five goals. They can also count on attacking midfielder Angelo Fulgini to create space and lead the attacks thanks to his vision. With three goals and two assists, he is a real asset for a team which has been led by Stéphane Moulin for the last 11 years.
🗣️ Coach 𝙈𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙣 et Thomas 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞 étaient en conférence de presse, à la veille du déplacement en Principauté.
👊 Et ils ont affiché de l'𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 !
⚡ #ASMSCO ⚡ pic.twitter.com/Ke2YEfI035
— Angers SCO (@AngersSCO) January 8, 2021
An effective side on the road
With 17 points recorded away from the Stade Raymond Kopa the teammates of the former Monegasque Thomas Mangani, (trained at the Academy) have been doing very well on their travels since the start of the season. They sit in third place in the away table, just behind Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint Germain. The last defeat suffered by the Angevins on the road dates back to October 2 against PSG at the Parc des Princes (6-1). Since then, Angers have been undefeated on their last six road trips.
🗣️ Thomas 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞 :
« On est sur une bonne série au niveau du contenu. On sent que les adversaires décryptent davantage notre jeu qu'auparavant, ils sont plus méfiants. » pic.twitter.com/OKfsjGittp
— Angers SCO (@AngersSCO) January 8, 2021
With successes against Rennes (1-2), Nîmes (1-5), Lens (1-3), and one last this Wednesday against former leader Lille (1-2), the Noir et Blanc have recorded four wins as well as two draws against Saint-Etienne (0-0) and Nantes (1-1). In nine away games this season, Angers has already won more points than they had last year in 13 games. Logically, this is also reflected the table as they sit in 7th place, neck and neck with AS Monaco before this 19th Matchday.
Extracts from the AS Monaco press conference:
Read Niko Kovac‘s pre-match press conference.
Read Kevin Volland‘s pre-match press conference.
AS Monaco – Angers SCO by the numbers…
- 48: Matches in Ligue 1 against Angers, with 22 wins for AS Monaco, 13 draws and 13 losses (82 goals scored, 56 conceded).
- 11: Total number of matches at the Stade Louis-II, with a record of 17 wins for AS Monaco, 1 draw and 6 losses (47 goals scored, 19 conceded).
- 5-0: On February 25, 1962 as well as February 25, 1968, the Monegasques recorded their biggest home wins against Angers. Karimou Djibrill, André Hess, Théodore Szkudlapski and Yvon Douis (double) were the scorers on the day during the first victory. They would do the same six years later to the day through François Simian, Gérard Garino, Francis Magny and Pierre Dell’Oste (double).
- 9: AS Monaco have won 9 of their last 10 Ligue 1 home games against Angers, keeping a clean sheet eight times.
- 7: The Red and Whites have scored at least two goals in 7 of their 9 home matches in Ligue 1 this season, which is as many as they had last season in 14 games, before the end of the season.
