All signs are pointing in the right direction for Monaco under coach Adi Hutter, after they finished second to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last season.

An unbeaten start was extended to four games with a 3-0 win over Auxerre at the weekend, allowing Hutter to make a number of substitutions ahead of the game, which was completed on the hour mark.

However, this will be a big step up from their domestic opponents, and that unbeaten start could be in jeopardy.

As well as Barcelona, Monaco also welcome Benfica and Aston Villa to the Principality, while Inter Milan and Arsenal are also on the road in what promises to be a challenging league campaign.

While their upcoming opponents may be a daunting prospect, Monaco's record against Spanish clubs should give them confidence, having won seven of their last nine.

However, their recent poor home form in the competition is a cause for concern, as they have lost seven consecutive games at the Stade Louis II - no team in the history of the competition has ever lost eight consecutive home games.

Hutter will be hoping that a lot has changed in terms of mentality since their last appearance in the competition in 2018, which ended in a second successive group stage exit.

The club do, however, have a fantastic overall record in the Champions League, having qualified just nine times and reached one final, three semi-finals and one quarter-final.

They have only met Barcelona once, in 1993, when the Catalan side won both games without conceding a goal.

Hansi Flick's men will be looking to make it three out of three as they prepare for a 21st consecutive season in Europe's elite competition, but the club's stature demands that they improve on their recent form.

Since becoming European champions in 2015, Barca have only made it past the quarter-finals once, a run that includes two group stage exits in 2021 and 2022.

This is in stark contrast to their record during the club's glory years, when they reached at least the semi-finals 10 times in 15 campaigns between 1999 and 2015.

Monaco may not be the ideal opening opponent either, with Barca having won just two of their last nine visits to France, one of which came at PSG last season before they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

However, the Blaugrana have often been quick off the mark in recent seasons, with five opening day victories over Ferencvaros, Viktoria Pilsen and Antwerp in the last four seasons.

A blistering start to the league campaign will also give the handful of Culers making the short trip to the south of France confidence, as Sunday's 4-1 win over Girona extended their 100% start to five games, scoring 17 goals in the process, with Lamine Yamal once again stealing the show with two of them.

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Kohn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Mawissa Elebi, Caio Henrique; Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino, Ben Seghir; Embolo

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Ter Stegen; Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; Eric Garcia, Pedri, Casado; Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Prediction:Monaco 0-2 Barcelona

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