Newcomers Leipzig start with Monaco task

• #EQUALGAME
This week,  football fans watching UEFA Champions League matches in stadiums, online and on TV will witness the premiere of the new UEFA RESPECT TV ads, called #EqualGame. The adverts feature Ada Hegerberg, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and amateur players and will run throughout the season to promote inclusion, diversity and accessibility in European Football with the motto "Everyone has the right to enjoy football, no matter who you are, where you're from, or how you play."
More information on the campaign and on the advertisements can be found in the accompanying media release and on the campaign website: www.equalgame.com.

RB Leipzig mark their European debut with a home game against AS Monaco FC, who are hoping to repeat last season's feat of reaching the semi-finals.

• While this is a first ever match in continental competition for the German club, it is Monaco's 175th.

Match background

Leipzig
• Leipzig qualified for a first foray into European competition by finishing second in the 2016/17 Bundesliga – in what, remarkably, was their first season in the German top flight.

• Leipzig are the 12th club to represent Germany in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• The German side are also the first team from any country to make their European debut in the group stage.

Monaco
• Monaco are embarking upon their eighth group stage campaign. Finalists in 2004, they got to the semis in 1994 and 1998.

• The French club enjoyed another memorable European season in 2016/17, knocking out Manchester City FC and Borussia Dortmund on the way to the last four. There they succumbed 4-1 on aggregate to Juventus (0-2 home, 1-2 away).

• Leonardo Jardim's men – who also claimed the French title in May – lost four of their eight away games in last season's competition, winning three and drawing the other.

• Monaco twice faced German opponents in the 2016/17 competition. They went down 3-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the group stage – ending a five-match unbeaten run in Germany (W3 D2) – but won 3-2 at Dortmund in their quarter-final first leg.

• Overall, Monaco's record away to Bundesliga opponents is W4 D2 L2. Home and away, it is W9 D5 L4.

• Monaco have qualified from the UEFA Champions League group stage on their last four participations.

Coach and player links
• Guido Carrillo scored in Monaco's 3-1 first-leg success over Yvon Mvogo's BSC Young Boys in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

• Fabinho scored in Monaco's 2-0 Ligue 1 win against a Paris side including Jean-Kévin Augustin in March 2016.

• Portugal's João Moutinho was player of the match in a 0-0 draw with Stefan Ilsanker's Austria in the UEFA EURO 2016 group stage.

• On 8 October 2016, Yussuf Poulsen and Poland's Kamil Glik (own goal) both scored for Denmark in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier – but Poland still prevailed 3-2.

• International team-mates:
Bruma & Rony Lopes (Portugal Under-21)

• Have played in France:
Jean-Kévin Augustin (Paris Saint-Germain, 2009–15)
Naby Keïta (FC Istres, 2013/14)
Dayot Upamecano (Valenciennes FC, 2014/15)

• Has played in Germany:
Diego Benaglio (VfB Stuttgart, 2002–05; VfL Wolfsburg, 2007–17)

Match facts

Leipzig
• Leipzig won 5-0 away to sixth-tier Sportfreunde Dorfmerkingen on 13 August in the German Cup first round. They will host FC Bayern München in the last 32 on 25 October.

• Six days later Leipzig lost 2-0 at FC Schalke 04 in their Bundesliga opener. Bruma scored his first goal for the club in the 4-1 defeat of SC Freiburg next time out.

• Timo Werner has registered seven goals in six appearances for club and country this season. Three of those goals came in the European Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup – he opened the scoring in Germany's 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic on 1 September and added two more as Norway were beaten 6-0 three days later.

• Werner finished with a tournament-leading three goals as Germany won the FIFA Confederations Cup in the summer.

• Emil Forsberg was on target for Sweden in their 4-0 success against Belarus on 3 September. Three days earlier he had a penalty saved in the Blågult's 3-2 loss to Bulgaria.

• Marcel Sabitzer (calf) left the Austria squad after their 1-0 defeat in Wales on 2 September and missed the subsequent game against Georgia.

• Poulsen (thigh) has not played since the opening day of the season, although he has resumed full training.

Monaco
• Monaco's run of 16 top-flight wins – a Ligue 1 record – came to an end on Saturday as they went down 4-0 at OGC Nice. Jardim's team equalled the previous best sequence, the 14 successive victories managed by FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 2009, when they defeated Dijon FCO 4-1 on 13 August.

• Monaco also lost 4-0 away to Nice at the beginning of last season before recovering to win the title.

• Radamel Falcao has scored eight goals for club and country this season, three of them coming against Dijon.

• Thomas Lemar struck twice, his first international goals, in France's 4-0 win against the Netherlands on 31 August.