Club Brugge and Monaco are both already six points off the pace in Group A, and each will know the importance of registering a first win in the section as they meet in Belgium.
• Both teams have been beaten by Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid – level at the top of the section with six points apiece – and need three points at the Jan Breydelstadion to belatedly kick-start their campaign.
• However, both sides are on long winless runs in the UEFA Champions League; indeed, Club Brugge have lost their last eight matches in the competition proper.
Previous meetings
• The sides’ only past contests came in the 1988/89 European Cup second round, when each were home winners. However, while Club Brugge took the advantage in the tie with a 1-0 success in the first leg in Belgium, Monaco turned the tie round in style back in France, a Youssouf Fofana hat-trick helping secure a 6-1 second-leg win.
• The first leg of that tie took place on 26 October 1988 – two days short of 30 years before this matchday three fixture.
Form guide
Club Brugge
• Beaten 1-0 at home by Dortmund on matchday one, Club Brugge went down 3-1 at Atlético last time out to extend their run of defeats in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, to eight in a row – four short of the competition record held by another Belgian club, Anderlecht.
• Belgian champions for the 15th time in 2017/18, this is Club Brugge’s second group campaign in three seasons, and their sixth overall. Before 2016/17 – when they lost every game to finish bottom of a group including Leicester, Porto and København – their previous participation had come in 2005/06.
• The Belgian side are without a win in their last 12 UEFA Champions League fixtures, qualifying included (D1 L11).
• Group stage to final, Club Brugge’s last win in the competition was a 3-2 home defeat of Rapid Wien in November 2005; their record since then is D1 L9. They have won only two of their last 14 fixtures in the UEFA Champions League proper (D1 L11).
• Club Brugge’s last meetings with French opposition came in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage, when they lost away (0-4) and home (1-2) to Bordeaux.
• The defeat by Bordeaux in Bruges ended a three-match unbeaten run at home to French visitors (W2 D1). Overall, Club Brugge’s record against Ligue 1 sides in Belgium is W5 D1 L4.
• Runners-up to Liverpool in 1978, Club Brugge remain the only team from Belgium to have reached a European Cup final.
Monaco
• Having opened with a 2-1 home defeat against Atlético, Monaco went down 3-0 in Dortmund on matchday two – extending their run of European away games without a win to five (D2 L3).
• Second in Ligue 1 last season, Monaco reached the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League semi-finals but finished bottom of their 2017/18 group having collected two points from their six games.
• Monaco drew two of their three away games in 2017/18, losing the other; a 3-2 win at Dortmund in the 2016/17 quarter-final first leg is their sole success in their last nine European away fixtures (D3 L5).
• Monaco are without a win in ten European games (D2 L8), since a 3-1 home victory against Dortmund in the quarter-final second leg in April 2017.
• The Ligue 1 outfit’s last trip to Belgium brought a 1-1 draw at Anderlecht in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League group stage; Monaco went on to lose the home game 2-0.
• The 1988 defeat at Club Brugge is Monaco’s only loss in Belgium in three visits (W1 D1).
• Runners-up in 2004, Monaco remain the last French team to reach the UEFA Champions League final.
Links and trivia
• Monaco midfielder Youri Tielemans was an Anderlecht player between 2013 and 2017, winning two league titles.
• Nacer Chadli was born in Liege and was in the youth teams at Thier-à-Liège, Standard Liège and MVV Maastricht before making his senior breakthrough at Dutch side AGOOV Apeldoorn. He has never played senior club football in his homeland.
• Have also played in Belgium:
Adama Traoré (Mouscron 2014)
Jordy Gaspar (Cercle Brugge 2017/18)
• Have played in France:
Benoît Poulain (Nîmes 2006–14)
Marvelous Nakamba (Nancy 2012–14)
• International team-mates:
Jelle Vossen, Brandon Mechele, Hans Vanaken & Nacer Chadli, Youri Tielemans (Belgium)
Matej Mitrović & Danijel Subašić (Croatia)
Sofyan Amrabat & Youssef Ait Bennasser (Morocco)
• Monaco general manager Filips Dhondt held the same role at Club Brugge between 2001 and 2010.
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