Monaco and US striker Balogun mounting Champions League challenge in Ligue 1
Monaco was unstoppable in Ligue 1 before the international break and now a Champions League spot is within reach. Victory would see Monaco move level on points with its southern rival in the French standings. This is quite the turnaround for Sébastien Pocognoli's players, who trailed Marseille by 14 points at the end of January.
Monaco was unstoppable in Ligue 1 before the international break and now a Champions League spot is within reach. The Principality side has swept its last six matches and is on a nine-match unbeaten run ahead of Sunday's reception of third-placed Marseille. Victory would see Monaco move level on points with its southern rival in the French standings.
This is quite the turnaround for Sébastien Pocognoli's players, who trailed Marseille by 14 points at the end of January. Pocognoli guided Union Saint-Gilloise to the Belgian league title last season and intially struggled to adapt on the Riviera. His attacking approach, intense pressing and astute substitutions are, however, finally paying off.
Add to that Folarin Balogun's excellent recent form — seven goals in his last seven matches in all competitions — and sixth-placed Monaco is a strong contender for a top-three Champions League spot. The fourth-placed team goes through qualifying. “Several teams are ahead of us, so we are in pursuit, applying pressure from our underdog position,” Pocognoli said.
“This is a consequence of the difficult spell we endured from November through to January. We aim to claw our way up a few more spots in the standings before the season concludes. " Key matchups It's a close fight at the top of the standings between defending champion Paris Saint-Germain and second-placed Lens.