Arsenal v Monaco background

Arsenal FC face AS Monaco FC for the first time in UEFA competition in the round of 16 but for home manager Arsène Wenger the visitors will need no introduction at all.

• Wenger was Monaco coach for seven years (1987–94) before leaving for Nagoya Grampus in Japan. This will be Wenger's first official encounter with his old club, who are competing in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds for the first time in a decade.

• Monaco reached the round of 16 as winners of Group C – although their 11-point total was actually two fewer than Arsenal managed in finishing Group D runners-up behind Borussia Dortmund.

Previous meetings
• Although this is the sides' first competitive encounter, they did meet in north London in a pre-season friendly on 3 August. Monaco won 1-0 through a Radamel Falcao goal.

• The starting lineups were:
Arsenal: Szczęsny, Debuchy, Chambers, Koscielny, Monreal, Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere, Sánchez, Giroud, Cazorla.
Monaco: Subašić, Dirar, Raggi, Carvalho, Elderson, Moutinho, Bakayoko, Kondogbia, Ferreira Carrasco, Falcao, Ocampos.

Match background

Arsenal
• This is Arsenal's 15th consecutive appearance in the last 16. However, Wenger's men have lost at this stage in each of the last four seasons.

• Arsenal's last victory in the round of 16 was against FC Porto (6-2 aggregate) in 2009/10, since when they have suffered elimination against FC Barcelona (2010/11), AC Milan (2011/12) and FC Bayern München (2012/13 and 2013/14).

• Including their play-off tie against Beşiktaş, Arsenal have earned three wins and one draw at home in this season's competition.

• Arsenal's home record against French teams is W5 D3 L2.

• Their most recent meetings with Ligue 1 opposition came against Olympique de Marseille in last term's group stage, when they won 2-1 (a) and 2-0 (h).

• Wenger has never lost a match back in France with Arsenal. His overall record against clubs from his home country with the Gunners is W10 D4 L2.

• Arsenal's record in two-legged ties with French teams is W4 L0.

Monaco
• Monaco are eyeing their first UEFA Champions League quarter-final since 2003/04 – the season they went all the way to the final.

• Their most recent round of 16 appearance ended in a 3-0 aggregate defeat by PSV Eindhoven in 2004/05.

• Monaco took four points on their travels in the group stage, winning 1-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen on matchday five.

• Leonardo Jardim's side had the best defence in the group stage, conceding just one goal in six games.

• Monaco have only lost once in five previous visits to England – a 2-0 reverse at Liverpool FC in the 2004/05 group stage. In their only past trip to London they drew 2-2 at Chelsea FC to book their place in the 2004 final.

Coach and player links
• As Monaco coach, Wenger won the French league title in 1988 and the French Cup in 1991. He also led the principality club to the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup final, losing 2-0 against SV Werder Bremen.

• En route to that Cup Winners' Cup final, Wenger's Monaco beat Swansea City AFC 8-0 at home in the first round – still their record European victory.

• Leonardo Jardim faced Arsenal as Olympiacos FC coach in the 2012/13 group stage, losing 3-1 in London but winning 2-1 at home.

• Dimitar Berbatov played against Arsenal in seven north London derbies for Tottenham Hotspur FC (2006–08), scoring once and winning just once – a 5-1 home triumph in the 2007/08 English League Cup semi-finals.

• A team-mate of Danny Welbeck at Old Trafford, Berbatov appeared as a substitute in the Manchester United FC side that beat Arsenal in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. His only away goals at Arsenal were two for Fulham FC in a 3-3 draw in 2012/13.

• Ricardo Carvalho did not lose any of eight games played for Chelsea FC against Arsenal between 2004 and 2010 – including the 2007 English League Cup final (2-1).

• David Ospina played in seven editions of the Derby de la Côte d'Azur for OGC Nice against Monaco – winning two and losing three – between 2008 and 2014.

• Mathieu Debuchy played for LOSC Lille from 2003–13, winning six of ten meetings with Monaco.

• None of Mikel Arteta (Paris Saint-Germain), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier Hérault SC) and Laurent Koscielny (FC Lorient) managed to beat Monaco in Ligue 1.

• Abou Diaby (AJ Auxerre) and Mathieu Flamini (Marseille) never faced Monaco in French football.

• Mesut Özil played against João Moutinho in Germany's 4-0 defeat of Portugal at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

• Moutinho lost his four previous European matches against Premier League sides – home and away defeats by Manchester City FC with Porto (2011/12 UEFA Europa League) and by Manchester United with Sporting Clube de Portugal (2007/08 UEFA Champions League).

• Jérémy Toulalan lost to United in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League round of 16 with Olympique Lyonnais. He later helped Lyon win 2-1 at Liverpool in the 2009/10 group stage.

• Arsenal's record scorer, Thierry Henry, played for Monaco between 1994 and 1999, joining the London side later that year after a short spell at Juventus.

Match facts

Arsenal
• Flamini and Nacho Monreal are both a yellow card away from a suspension.

• Arsenal have played 14 games in all competitions since matchday six, their record reading: W11 D1 L2.

• The Gunners were sixth, 13 points off the pace, at the end of the group stage. Ten weeks on and they are third, 12 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea FC.

• January signing Gabriel made his Arsenal debut in the north Londoners' 2-0 FA Cup fifth round victory against Middlesbrough FC on 15 February. Arsenal will visit Manchester United FC in the quarter-finals on 9 March.

• Aaron Ramsey was ruled out for around three weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 2-1 defeat of Leicester City FC on 10 February.

• On 19 February, Wenger said Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (out since 18 January, groin) is "close" to a return and Jack Wilshere (22 November, ankle ligaments) is "fine"; the latter was on the bench for the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace FC on Saturday. Debuchy (11 January, right shoulder) and Arteta (26 November, ankle and calf) are sidelined.

• Héctor Bellerín (ankle) and Flamini (hamstring) had fitness tests in training on Friday; while the former was an unused substitute at Palace, Flamini missed out altogether.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin, Gabriel Paulista (Villarreal CF)
• Out: Joel Campbell (Villarreal CF, loan), Lukas Podolski (FC Internazionale Milano, loan), Yaya Sanago (Crystal Palace FC, loan)

Monaco
• Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Layvin Kurzawa will both incur a suspension with their next booking.

• Monaco have played 14 games in all competitions since the end of the group stage, their record reading: W9 D4 L1. They were 1-0 victors at OGC Nice on Friday.

• That sole defeat, 1-0 at UEFA Europa League contenders EA Guingamp on 8 February, ended Jardim's team's eight-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1.

• Monaco kept a clean sheet in each of those undefeated fixtures. Dorian Lévêque's strike for Guingamp was the first goal conceded by Danijel Subašić in 842 minutes.

• Having collected 23 points from their 13 games this season, Monaco have the best away record in Ligue 1. They have won their last four away league matches.

• Following a goalless draw, Monaco lost on penalties to SC Bastia in the French League Cup semi-finals on 4 February. Former Arsenal defender Sébastien Squillaci, a UEFA Champions League runner-up with Monaco in 2004, converted the winning spot kick.

• The principality club are through to the French Cup quarter-finals having eliminated Nîmes Olympique (2-0), Évian Thonon Gaillard FC (2-0) and Stade Rennais FC (3-1) since the turn of the year. Monaco are away to Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight on 4 March.

• Wallace and Almamy Touré scored their first goals for Monaco against Rennes.

• Lacina Traoré made one appearance – as a substitute in the semi-finals against DR Congo – during Ivory Coast's triumphant 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Equatorial Guinea.

• Centre-backs Ricardo Carvalho (out since 8 February, calf) and Andrea Raggi (1 February, knee) went off before half-time against Guingamp and Olympique Lyonnais respectively.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Matheus Carvalho (Fluminense FC, loan), Alain Traoré (FC Lorient, loan)
• Out: Borja López (RC Deportivo La Coruña, loan), Lucas Ocampos (Olympique de Marseille, loan)