In the first Thursday night slate in the Champions League in years, Barcelona and Monaco meet on match day 1 at the Stade Louis II. Barcelona vs. Monaco is live at 3 p.m. ET and streaming on Paramount+.
Barcelona are a -150 favorite on the moneyline, with Monaco +365 and a draw +325. The over/under is set at either 2.5 or 3.5 goals, depending on the sportsbook.
The Spanish side has been fantastic this season under its new manager, owning a perfect record through five matches in La Liga. Meanwhile, the French club is undefeated through four games in Ligue 1, making its return to the UCL for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.
This should be an excellent match in France. So, let’s dive into the action to find the best betting value on the board. Here is my Monaco vs. Barcelona predictions and Champions League picks for Thursday.
Monaco vs. Barcelona Odds, Picks, Prediction
| Monaco Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+0.5 +110 | 3.5 +116o / -104u | +360 |
| Barcelona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-0.5 -145 | 3.5 +116o | -145 |
- Monaco vs. Barcelona moneyline odds: Barcelona -150, Monaco +365, Draw +325
- Monaco vs. Barcelona over/under: 3.5 goals
- Monaco vs. Barcelona pick: Corners prop pick
I am backing the Barcelona corner market in my Barcelona vs. Monaco best bet. Always be sure to shop around for the best lines by using our live soccer odds page.
Monaco Preview
Monaco may not be one of the most recognizable clubs by American fans, but there are some familiar faces. The main name that sticks out is United States striker Folarin Balogun.
He is joined by former Chelsea and Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria and Takumi Minamino, who has featured for Liverpool in his past. The club is also led by a solid manager in Adi Hütter.
In the past, his main success came at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he guided the German club to the semifinals of the Europa League in 2019. The next season his side defeated Arsenal in the same competition.
This will be a step up from the usual competition in the French top flight, but we’ve seen Hütter achieve great success at a club like Monaco in the past.
Barcelona Preview
Over the summer, Barcelona elected to go in a different direction at manager of the club by bringing in Hansi Flick to take over for club legend Xavi. He is the third German manager in the club’s history, and he has had great success in his career.
His top achievements came at Bayern Munich, where he won this competition in 2020. Flick also went on to lead the German giant to the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles in the same year.
In his time in Spain so far, all he has done is pick up results. He has five wins in La Liga, which includes victories over Girona and Athletic Club.
The one improvement we can see already is he is getting the best out of Robert Lewandowski. The striker who played for Flick at Bayern already has four goals and an assist on the season, and he’ll need another big performance here.
My Champions League Prediction for Monaco vs. Barcelona
As I dove into this game, I couldn’t back the visitors because of the lengthy injury list that leaves them short in key areas. However, it still feels like a game in which Barcelona controls most of the possession and control.
I could see the French side sitting back behind the ball and looking to spring counterattacks when it gets the opportunity. This leads me to a bet in the prop market.
With that said, my best bet is for Barcelona to cover the -1 Asian corner handicap at -125. I would bet this down to -140.
In Barcelona’s five matches this season, this would have only been a losing bet in one game. The combination of Flick’s attacking style with the wingers he has at his disposal means they can rack up corners.
Ironically, these two teams played at the very end of the preseason. I wouldn’t necessarily take too much from a game that Monaco won 3-0.
One thing that did stand out is the fact that Barcelona held a 6-0 advantage in corners over the French side. I’ll take my chances for this edge to continue in this Champions League opener.
