Monaco vs Lille OSC preview - Monaco look to build on win

Posted Friday, August 29, 2014 by PA

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim is desperate to build on their belated first win of the season and start climbing the Ligue 1 table as they prepare to meet Lille on Saturday.

A 1-0 victory over Nantes last weekend has lifted the mood at the Stade Louis II after a disappointing start, but there is still much work for Monaco to do to prove they deserve to be in the title race again.

One major task will be to keep hold of striker Radamel Falcao as speculation about his future swirls, but Jardim cannot be distracted by the transfer window.

"We always had a good spirit in the team but it felt good to win," he said, reflecting on the Nantes result.

"Now we face a very good Lille team, who are a very physical side and are trying to win their third (Ligue 1) match in a row.

"We know only one way to approach tough games - hard work."

But while Lille's league form is encouraging, they will make the long journey south still disappointed by their Champions League play-off defeat to Porto on Tuesday night, dropping them into the Europa League.

"Yes, we are disappointed at not being able to qualify for the Champions League," said defender David Rozehnal.

"But I want to say that this is already in the past. Everything comes quickly with this trip to Monaco. It is a very important match against a great team. We're well prepared for this, even though we have not had much time to recover."