AS Monaco and Lille OSC played out a goalless draw as Ligue 1 football returned on Friday night. Les Dogues couldn’t punish 10-man Monaco following Jordan Teze’s red card in the second half, as the Principality club extended their lead at the top of the table.

The Match

The rhythm was quickly set. Monaco pushed high and with intent out of possession and won the ball back high on several occasions. For large periods, Lille struggled to get out, ceding the lion’s share of the possession. However, it was clear that they were happy to hit on the break, with Edon Zhegrova the main outlet and a heavy reliance on individual moments of brilliance and neat interchanges with Angel Gomes and Jonathan David.

Les Monégasques looked dangerous without ever carving out clear-cut opportunities. Aleksandr Golovin saw two tame efforts saved comfortably, but the best chance of the half fell to Jordan Teze, who lacked composure in the box and blasted his rushed shot wide. Lille meanwhile, struggled to create anything at all, registering just three shots on target in the entire match.

Teze’s red card in the 62nd minute ought to have been a turning point. Already on a yellow, the Dutchman went flying in on Gabriel Gudmundsson, making contact with the LOSC defender’s neck with his knee. The straight red card was logical. But it didn’t significantly change the flow of the match.

At least until the last 10 matches, the Principality club continued to have much of the possession, much of the control, and even the better chances. Krépin Diatta should have done better when the ball fell to him within the box, but he blasted over, whilst Denis Zakaria’s effort in injury time was well saved by Lucas Chevalier.

Monaco’s ability to dominate and create, even at 10 man reflected poorly on a Lille side that looked happy to only take away one point from the Stade Louis II. If that was the goal then they achieved it. Les Monégasques are now three points ahead of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain, who can go back level with Monaco if they beat RC Strasbourg Alsace on Saturday.

Monaco player ratings

Radoslaw Majecki – 5

Caio Henrique – 6

Thilo Kehrer – 6

Wilfried Singo – 6

Jordan Teze – 2

Sloppy in possession and guilty of squandering Monaco’s best chance in the first half with a rushed finish. His tackle on Bouaddi, another clumsy moment, could have seen red, his flying kick on Gudmundsson in the second half did. 

Denis Zakaria – 5

Lamine Camara – 5

Eliesse Ben Seghir – 6

Nominated for the Golden Boy award the day before, Ben Seghir was the most lively of Monaco’s attackers, making frequent dangerous runs inside from the left. Like many of his teammates, he lacked the final ball on the night. 

Aleksandr Golovin – 6

Takumi Minamino – 4

George Ilenikhena – 3

Pre-match, Hütter said that Ilenikhena’s weaknesses were with his back to goal and in hold-up play. Against a LOSC side that sat deep, those weaknesses were highlighted. He rarely had the chance to run into space, to pin a man one-on-one. His influence was therefore highly limited, before being replaced by Breel Embolo in the wake of Teze’s red card.

Lille player ratings

Lucas Chevalier – 6

Mitchel Bakker – N/A

Replaced by Gabriel Gudmundsson (5) 

Alexsandro – 4

Bafodé Diakité – 5

Thomas Meunier – 6

The Belgian had a lot to handle down the right. He had the marauding Caio Henrique and Eliesse Ben Seghir to contend with, and whilst the latter did impress, the left flank was not so effective for Les Monégasques, certainly not as much as they would have hoped and expected. Meunier is a big reason why. 

André Gomes – 6

Ayyoub Bouaddi – 4

Osame Sahraoui – 4

Angel Gomes – 5

Edon Zhegrova – 4

Lille relied on him to provide moments of brilliance, but they were in short supply. His touch was uncharacteristically loose. It was a missed opportunity for the Kosovan, against a left-back not renowned for his defensive strengths. 

Jonathan David – 5

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Balogun suffered a shoulder injury in the final game before the international break. The USMNT forward has been diagnosed with a dislocation and is set to miss several weeks. Mohamed Salisu is also out for Les Monégasques. He suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with Ghana. The severity of his injury has not yet been ascertained, but he has been ruled out of the tie against Lille. 

After a minor injury scare, Denis Zakaria is indeed available for Monaco. He is expected to start in midfield. As confirmed by Adi Hutter, Radoslaw Majecki, returning from injury, will replace Philipp Kohn in goal. Mamadou Coulibaly and Edan Diop are both still out.

Monaco likely lineup v Lille

Radoslaw Majecki; Caio Henrique, Thilo Kehrer, Wilfried Singo, Jordan Teze; Lamine Camara, Denis Zakaria; Eliesse Ben Seghir, Aleksandr Golovin, Maghnes Akliouche; Breel Embolo. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Balogun, signed for big-money from Arsenal in the summer of 2023, has hit a purple patch, scoring in three consecutive Ligue 1 games for the first time since his arrival. His most recent goal came in a 2-1 victory over Stade Rennais in the final game before the international break. 

Balogun a big doubt to face Arsenal

However, he was forced off later on in that game with what Adi Hütter described as a “very painful” shoulder injury. It meant he missed the international break with the USMNT. Tests over the international break showed that Balogun had suffered a dislocation. 

Krépin Diatta was optimistic about his team-mate’s recovery on Thursday, noting that he saw Balogun running at the club’s training centre in La Turbie. “Balogun is out of the Lille OSC game for sure,” said Hütter in a pre-match press conference, attended by Get French Football News. 

And beyond that too. His absence is expected to be lengthy, with L’Équipe estimating a recovery period of around two months. It means that he is a big doubt to face his former club Arsenal at the Emirates in the UEFA Champions League on 11th December. It is a blow for Monaco and for Hütter, who will now have to make do with two outright No.9 options. 

Ilenikhena the obvious benefactor

Breel Embolo is the experienced option, George Ilenihena, who only recently celebrated his 18th birthday a more inexperienced pick. But the former Antwerp striker, who is in the process of obtaining French citizenship, will certainly get more chances to impress, as he already has. 

Ilenikhena has already had an impact for the Principality club, netting the winner against Barcelona in the Champions League in September. “There will be more opportunities for him,” confirmed Hütter. “But don’t forget his age! He needs time to develop but he is an interesting striker. He is definitely an option to start [matches].”

Hütter outlined the axes of progression for the young striker, who has impressed since his summer move to Monaco. “Physically, he can improve and he can protect the ball better,” said Hütter. Those perceived weaknesses are, in contrast, Embolo’s biggest strengths. The Swiss international is also likely to see increased minutes in Balogun’s absence. 

No Balogun profile within Monaco’s academy

Ilenikhena will perhaps be the biggest ‘benefactor’ of Balogun’s absence, especially with Hütter suggesting that a young player from the club’s Groupe Élite won’t be called in to fill the gap. Joan Tincres recently impressed against Barcelona in the UEFA Youth League, whilst Lucas Michal has been a consistent performer, and Saïmon Bouabré looks to be a star in the making. 

“For me, Michal and Bouabré are the next talents that can follow the same path as Eliesse (Ben Seghir) and Maghnes (Akliouche),” admitted Hütter, however, their integration is not necessarily imminent. 

“We are safe without Folarin. We have different profiles of strikers. We have to manage without Folarin. We don’t have the same profile as Folarin in our academy,” said the Monaco manager. It looks like it will be Ilenikhena and Embolo, therefore, who will fill the void left by the in-form Balogun, with the two likely vying for just one spot in Hütter’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from La Turbie

Majecki displaced Philipp Kohn in the Monaco goal last season. The latter was brought in in the summer of 2023 as a replacement for Alexander Nubel, whose loan from Bayern Munich came to an end. However, amid a tough run of form, he was replaced by Majecki, who had impressed in his limited outings. 

The Polish goalkeeper retained his place until the end of the season after convincing Adi Hutter. In the build-up to the current season, the Austrian manager confirmed that Majecki would retain his place, however, the latter suffered an ankle injury in pre-season. 

Majecki returned just before the international break, but was not fit enough to start. However, speaking at a press conference, attended by Get French Football News, Adi Hütter has confirmed that the Polish goalkeeper will reclaim his No.1 jersey when Monaco face Lille OSC on Friday night.

“Yes, tomorrow Radek is back in goal. We are making the change. Philipp was the No.1 when he arrived. He brought us doubts and so we changed. Radek (Majecki) is clearly No.1,” began Hütter. 

He added, “He was very important in achieving our goal to qualify for the Champions League [last season]. It changed after Radek’s injury in the pre-season. It was a chance for Köhn to be in goal. Now Majecki is back and he is the No.1.”

Hütter revealed that the decision was announced to the two goalkeepers on Wednesday. “As you can imagine, no-one is happy to receive that decision – this is football. I empathise with him (Köhn). He is a professional. It was hard to accept but he backed the decision. It wasn’t easy for us, but as a coach, you have to make decisions,” said the Monaco manager.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from La Turbie

Monaco are currently unbeaten and have won all but one of their Ligue 1 matches this season. They have carried that form into the UEFA Champions League too, with a win over Barcelona and a draw against Dynamo Zagreb. 

After the win over Barcelona, Maghnes Akliouche announced Les Monégasques’ ambition for the season. “Our objective is to put Monaco back in its place. That is the clear objective. Monaco should be playing in the Champions League every season,” began Akliouche, before unveiling the Principality club’s Ligue 1 objectives. “[In the league], we are targeting the title, and we want to enjoy the Champions League.”

Speaking to France 3, Takumi Minamino (29), the most experienced member of Monaco’s side, echoed the sentiment expressed by the France U21 international. “I clearly have the image in my mind of Monaco as champion [of Ligue 1]. It is a level of expectation,” said Japan international Minamino.

Speaking to Get French Football News last month, ahead of the centenary game against Montpellier HSC, the Principality club’s CEO, Thiago Scuro, said that it was “too early” for title talk. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Majecki displaced Philipp Kohn in the Monaco goal last season. The latter was brought in in the summer of 2023 as a replacement for Alexander Nubel, whose loan from Bayern Munich came to an end. However, amid a tough run of form, he was replaced by Majecki, who had impressed in his limited outings. 

The Polish goalkeeper retained his place until the end of the season after convincing Adi Hutter. In the build-up to the current season, the Austrian manager confirmed that Majecki would retain his place, however, the latter suffered an ankle injury in pre-season. 

As a result, Kohn has started all of Les Monégasques’ matches this season. But without overly convincing, he is now set to cede his place to the returning Majecki, who was included in the final matchday squad before the international break. Now fully fit, he will pull on the No.1 jersey once again. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The former France international was being judged for an alleged sexual assault and driving under the influence of alcohol. The alleged events happened on the night of 6th-7th September. Having recognised the driving violation, he stated that he did not remember the infractions in question, on account of being drunk at the time of the alleged incidents. 

He then apologised to the alleged victim, aged 23. Her legal counsel also demanded €25,000 in damages. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has demanded a two-and-a-half-year sentence, one-and-a-half years of which would be suspended. The other year would be convertible. The court’s decision will be made on 12th November, as reported by L’Équipe and RMC Sport.

Ben Yedder, who admitted to being an alcoholic, left AS Monaco following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Balogun’s injury leaves Breel Embolo and George Ilenikhena as the recognisable options up front for the Principality club. Now, Monaco may have another injury to contend with. Mohammed Salisu (25) was involved in Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) game against Sudan, however, the centre-back was forced to withdraw in the 72nd minute. 

The former Southampton defender left the field after cutting his run short, holding his hamstring, during the loss to Sudan (2-0). The severity of the injury has not yet been ascertained. 

However, Salisu is at least a major doubt to face Lille OSC. Table-topping Monaco take on Les Dogues at the Stade Louis II on Friday evening. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The former Arsenal forward netted in the 2-1 win over Stade Rennais just before the international break, as he continued his hot run of form, however, he was forced to withdraw midway through the second half after an awkward landing. Post-match, Adi Hütter described the injury sustained by Balogun as “very painful”. 

Balogun a doubt to face Arsenal

As a result, he was forced to pull out of the USMNT squad for the ongoing international break. The severity of the injury has now been ascertained. Balogun has suffered a dislocation of the glenohumeral joints in his left shoulder. This means he is set to miss around two months of competition. His participation against former club Arsenal on 11th December in the UEFA Champions League is now in doubt. 

In his absence, Hütter will be able to call on Breel Embolo and George Ilenikhena as his out-and-out No.9 options.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Coulibaly has played six times for Monaco since coming through the ranks at the club. La Diagonale’s academy graduate had been looking to make a breakthrough this season having established himself as one of the most promising prospects with the Groupe Élite. 

However, given his chance to shine on the final day of last season, the France youth international suffered a serious knee injury which required surgery. As a result, he is yet to feature for Les Monégasques this season, although he is once again running and slowly nearing a return to competitive action.

As he does so, Monaco have shown their faith in him. Coulibaly’s current deal had been set to expire at the end of the season, however, he has now signed a new contract which ties him to the club until 2028. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle