FC Barcelona has had a really strong start to life in their official campaign this season. Unlike previous campaigns, La Blaugrana have not faltered early on in the season and their confidence is at an all-time high. However, Barcelona will now aim to carry on that same momentum into the Champions League as well.
So far, everything that Hansi Flick’s team has shown to be capable of gives off very positive initial signs. Their high-intensity gameplay may be a very rewarding tactic, but it is simultaneously a very risky tactic as well that needs to be executed to near-perfection in order to avoid backfiring.
However, in their upcoming UEFA Champions League game against Monaco, it would appear that their opponents from Ligue 1 are hoping to take advantage of those risks and hopefully use them against this high-pressure Barcelona team, and this was revealed by Monaco captain Denis Zakaria himself, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo:
“We’re playing against a Barça team that’s won everything so far, but we don’t feel any pressure. We’ll need to move the ball well because Barça is very strong at pressing. We like to play with the ball, and that’s something we need to improve on—it’s our main objective.”
With experience across several leagues, including both the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League, Denis Zakaria is a player who could cause Barcelona some issues individually. However, the collective strength of Monaco’s team will also be worrying to deal with.
It must be remembered that Monaco have already made Barcelona taste defeat this year, and that was in the Joan Gamper trophy. That 3-0 defeat was an eye-opener for the Catalan giants, and they have not lost a single game since then under the leadership of Hansi Flick.
However, Monaco have been quite strong in Ligue 1 as well themselves. Unbeaten so far, just like Barcelona, they have three wins and one draw in their domestic league so far this season. Yet, for both Barça and their opponents from Ligue 1, this match will be a big test that showcases where exactly both teams currently stand in the grand scheme of things.
