Monaco's coach Filipe Luis expressed his hopes for defensive improvements during his press conference on Saturday. 'It will be a tough match, they are very aggressive and try to play from the back,' he said, referring to the first Ligue 1 game against Le Havre (Sunday at 17:15). The Brazilian, who is learning French, added: 'I start to understand what people say. I'm working hard to speak better after Christmas.'
Mawissa suspended, Balogun in recovery
Monaco has resources after its 3-2 win in Poland against Gornik Zabrze in Conference League qualifiers. However, the coach emphasized the need to improve the collective defense: 'Coordination is a point to work on.' The squad will welcome back Alexandre Golovine and Mamadou Coulibaly, suspended on Thursday, while Christian Mawissa will be absent. Folarin Balogun, in recovery, should return next week. Matthis Abline, injured on his right foot after surgery, is testing daily 'without severity, but painful,' confirmed Luis.
