Match Preview: OM vs. Monaco

By: Sarah | October 3rd, 2009

om vs monaco

Well, it has been a tough week for OM, starting with the tough loss last weekend to Valenciennes to the 7-minute fiasco in Madrid to the harsh media attacks on the team, the players and DD. So, the question is– can OM turn this ship around before things really hit rock bottom?

Tomorrow’s match against Monaco should be a good follow-up test to measure how good we really are as a team. That being said, I don’t think either of the score lines of the earlier matches this week are really reflective of the matches. Now, most people might wish that if their team was in this type of situation that they were playing an easy team where they could get their confidence back. But, Im glad that we are facing a good test this weekend– we need a good win against a SOLID team, not a win against an easy team (where is the fun in beating teams where you have every advantage?). And if we lost, we at least lost to a respectable team– I’m so sick of the “David vs. Goliath” coverage from the Valenciennes game.

I believe that regardless of where we end up at the end of the season, we will look back at this point in the season as the pivotal moment. After today’s results, probably even more so since Bordeaux’s first loss of the season allows us to make up some important ground. Winning this game would put us at 17 points– within 2 of Bordeaux and 3 of Lyon.

So, onto the preview!

Match Background: Last summer’s spending spree was suppose to fortify OM’s defense. There is no doubt that OM’s team contains so brilliant, creative goal scorers. But, DD is unwilling to unleash them until our defense gets their act together. Heinze and Diawarra have been a mixed bag thus far this season– sometimes solid and other times completely unreliable. Monaco has been equally unreliable this season– producing really great wins and some horrific losses (such as being beaten by Nancy 4-0). Monaco is also on a losing streak– they lost their last two domestic matches. So, both teams will be hoping to get a win before the international break!

OM Team News: Despite a rough week, we haven’t sustained any serious injuries. Kone will likely be returning to the team, but Brandao will be sitting out from his midweek knock. In other injury news, Hilton, who has only been used a few times this season by DD. Deschamps might decide to rotate some squad members, but he has commented in the past that he doesn’t “see the point” in rotating players unless they are tired. So, unless someone has been looking fatigued in training, I suspect we will see the following line-up: Mandanda, Bonnart, Diawarra, Heinze, Taiwo, Abriel, Cisse, Lucho, Cheyrou, Kone and Niang.

Monaco Team News: From what I gather from the media, Monaco has a healthy squad and there are only two players who won’t be available for Guy Lacombe to pick– defender Francois Modesto and Lukman Haruna.

Prediction: Both teams have been erratic this season, and I expect both teams to score at least once. I expect Niang, who has been consistently stellar this season, to shine again this game and pull his team through the game for a win. 2-1 or 3-1 for OM.