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Liverpool vs Monaco: Iraola’s Anfield debut puts defensive control under the microscope. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Liverpool’s pre-season shows strong attacking output but defensive fragility, conceding six goals in three friendlies. Monaco also score regularly yet keep few clean sheets. Both sides’ recent matches feature frequent goals, making a Both Teams To Score outcome likely in this open, high-scoring friendly.
A 3-1 scoreline fits Liverpool’s solid home record and attacking firepower, combined with Monaco’s tendency to concede away and maintain scoring form. Liverpool’s ability to build leads and Monaco’s away struggles support this plausible exact score prediction in a match featuring attacking depth and defensive vulnerabilities.
Compare form, H2H, goals trends and key data for Liverpool v Monaco.
Liverpool return to Anfield on Sunday for a pre-season meeting with Monaco that carries considerably more intrigue than the friendly label suggests.
Liverpool vs Monaco — bet365 Market Snapshot
Swipe through key markets with illustrative probabilities and sample bet365 odds based on our match analysis.
Liverpool’s strong recent form line gives them an edge, though Monaco’s scoring ability keeps the contest open.
Liverpool’s recent friendlies show attacking strength but defensive lapses, suggesting an open game.
Liverpool’s home scoring and Monaco’s away defensive struggles make a 3-1 result plausible.
Van Dijk and Alisson’s return could stabilize Liverpool’s defense after recent second-half collapses.
Three Punchy Stats
- Liverpool’s three pre-season matches have produced 13 total goals, with Iraola’s side scoring seven and conceding six. That is more than four goals per match on average, reflecting both their attacking threat and the amount of defensive work still required.
- Monaco have scored eight goals and conceded six across four summer friendlies. Their games have therefore produced 14 goals in total, although the 1-0 victory over Getafe showed that Filipe Luis’s side are also capable of winning a far more controlled contest.
- Liverpool have lost only two of their last 18 matches at Anfield, but six ended as draws. That combination shows why home form cannot be judged purely through defeats: Liverpool have generally been difficult to beat there, yet they have not always been ruthless enough to turn that resistance into victories.
Attacking Efficiency Comparison
Liverpool and Monaco both show strong goal-scoring form in recent friendlies.
Liverpool’s blunt recent output leaves Monaco with the stronger attacking edge.
Monaco’s scoring consistency makes them likelier to control the decisive moments against Liverpool.
Defensive Solidity Contrast
Liverpool’s defensive uncertainty contrasts with Monaco’s away vulnerabilities.
Monaco’s defense has been breached frequently, exposing them to Liverpool’s attack.
Monaco’s steadier back line gives them a defensive edge over Liverpool.
Andoni Iraola’s side are attempting to respond to a remarkable 4-2 defeat against Leeds United, when an excellent first half gave way to a second-half collapse following widespread substitutions. Monaco arrive in contrasting mood after beating Getafe 1-0, but Filipe Luis also has issues to solve before competitive football begins.
For Liverpool, this is their first home appearance under Iraola. For Monaco, it is another important examination before their Conference League playoff campaign begins.
The result itself will soon disappear into the pre-season archives. The way both teams function may be far harder to ignore.
Liverpool’s Leeds collapse was more useful than comfortable
Liverpool’s defeat to Leeds contained enough good and bad football for Iraola to spend several hours in the analysis room.
The Reds were 2-0 ahead at half-time and had produced an impressive opening period. The match then changed dramatically after the interval as substitutions weakened the side and Leeds scored four unanswered goals.
That distinction matters.
A 4-2 defeat looks alarming in isolation, but pre-season matches are rarely played under normal competitive conditions. Coaches deliberately disrupt teams, introduce inexperienced combinations and test players in unfamiliar situations. Iraola called the Leeds match Liverpool’s most informative friendly of the summer so far, and it is easy to understand why.
He has now seen what parts of his team can function and what can unravel when the structure changes.
Liverpool have scored seven goals across friendlies against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds, but have conceded six. Their summer sequence reads two victories followed by one defeat.
The attacking output is encouraging. The defensive balance is not.
And after finishing fifth in the Premier League with 60 points in 2025-26, there is little appetite around Anfield for a season built on exciting football accompanied by avoidable chaos.
Goals are wonderful. Conceding four in a half tends to spoil the party.
Iraola’s first Anfield appearance brings extra scrutiny
Arne Slot departed after the end of last season and Iraola has inherited a club preparing to compete in Europe despite his lack of previous experience managing a team in European competition.
That has contributed to concern among some supporters, and Sunday gives him an early opportunity to create a positive impression at Anfield.
Liverpool’s recent home record provides interesting context. They have lost only two of their last 18 matches at Anfield, although six of those games ended level.
Their closing stretch last season was less convincing, with only one victory from their final four home fixtures, alongside two draws and one defeat.
So while Anfield remained difficult for opponents to conquer outright, Liverpool were not consistently turning home advantage into wins.
That is a useful distinction.
A strong home record is not simply about avoiding defeat. Elite sides need to convert periods of territorial and technical superiority into decisive results.
Against Monaco, Liverpool can begin testing whether Iraola’s approach produces that level of control.
Van Dijk and Alisson can restore experience to the structure
One of the biggest changes from Liverpool’s overseas preparations is the return of senior figures.
Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo were left out of the US tour but are now back training on Merseyside and are expected to feature at some stage on Sunday.
Their presence is particularly important after the second-half problems against Leeds.
Van Dijk and Alisson add experience through the central defensive spine, while Liverpool’s uncertainty over Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni could otherwise reduce Iraola’s options at centre-back.
If both remain unavailable, Mor Talla Ndiaye could partner Van Dijk.
That pairing would represent a fascinating test because Monaco possess enough attacking variety to force Liverpool’s defensive line to communicate properly.
For Iraola, the key question is not merely whether his defenders can win individual duels. It is whether the entire side can maintain compact distances when possession changes hands.
That is where pre-season games become technically valuable.
Defensive organisation is collective. If midfield pressure disappears, defenders are exposed. If the back line retreats too quickly, space opens between the units. If the first press is beaten without support behind it, even excellent centre-backs can suddenly look vulnerable.
Liverpool experienced precisely the danger of structural deterioration against Leeds.
Munoz adds another new element to Liverpool’s attack
Victor Munoz has also returned following his World Cup break and is expected to feature.
A possible Liverpool XI contains Alisson behind Calum Scanlon, Ndiaye, Van Dijk and Milos Kerkez, with Trey Nyoni and Dominik Szoboszlai operating deeper.
Munoz, Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha could then support Alexander Isak.
That would give Iraola an intriguing mix of established quality, younger players and newer combinations.
Liverpool are still adjusting after notable attacking change, with Mohamed Salah no longer part of the squad and concerns remaining over whether such an influential figure has been adequately replaced.
That makes the distribution of attacking responsibility particularly important.
Liverpool cannot simply measure their attack by whether one individual reproduces the contribution of somebody who has left. Iraola needs a system capable of spreading creation and finishing across several positions.
Wirtz can become significant between midfield and attack, while Szoboszlai offers another technical presence centrally. Ngumoha and Munoz provide further options around Isak.
The challenge is making those players operate as a connected attacking unit rather than a collection of talented names.
Monaco arrive with attacking numbers and defensive questions
Monaco’s pre-season has been less dramatic than Liverpool’s latest outing, but it has not been perfectly smooth.
Filipe Luis’s side have played four summer friendlies, winning two, drawing one and losing one.
They opened with a 5-2 victory over AS Saint Priest, lost 2-0 to Sporting Lisbon, drew 2-2 with Cercle Bruges and then beat Getafe 1-0.
Across those four games, Monaco have scored eight goals and conceded six.
That offers a slightly unusual picture.
They have demonstrated that they can produce substantial attacking output, but only one of their four friendlies has ended with a clean sheet. Thursday’s victory over Getafe therefore represents a useful defensive improvement immediately before the trip to Anfield.
Their competitive schedule also adds urgency.
Monaco begin their campaign on August 20 with the first leg of a playoff tie for a Conference League place, before facing Le Havre in Ligue 1 three days later.
This is therefore not an early-summer experiment with endless time for correction.
Competitive football is close.
Filipe Luis has an away problem to address
Monaco finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season, their third-lowest placement since returning to the French top flight in 2013-14.
Their away form also gives Luis something to think about.
They arrive at Anfield trying to avoid a third successive away defeat and are searching for only their second victory across six matches on the road.
That makes Liverpool’s ability to establish pressure early particularly significant.
If Iraola’s side can control territory and force Monaco deeper, the visitors may have to demonstrate greater resilience away from home than they have shown recently.
Monaco cannot simply defend passively, though.
Liverpool have already demonstrated an ability to score throughout pre-season. Allowing them uninterrupted possession around the penalty area would invite sustained pressure.
The visitors therefore need moments when their midfield can slow Liverpool’s circulation, regain possession and allow the side to move up the pitch.
That battle could determine whether Monaco spend the afternoon attacking Liverpool’s weaknesses or merely resisting Liverpool’s strengths.
Camara and Cabral can make midfield the key battleground
Monaco could use Lamine Camara alongside Pape Cabral in central midfield.
Camara has been linked with Liverpool this summer, adding a neat subplot to his possible appearance at Anfield, but the tactical significance matters more.
If Liverpool use Nyoni and Szoboszlai deeper with Wirtz ahead of them, Monaco will need to manage a midfield structure containing different profiles.
Szoboszlai can influence possession from deeper areas, while Wirtz offers an option closer to the attacking line.
Camara and Cabral therefore face an important positioning challenge.
If they drop too deep, Liverpool could dominate midfield territory. If they press too aggressively without protection behind them, Wirtz and the supporting attackers may find useful spaces.
That is the eternal midfield dilemma: pressure the ball without opening the pitch.
Monaco’s possible side has Hradecky in goal, with Vanderson, Sadibou Sane, Eric Dier and Nazinho across the defence. Camara and Cabral sit behind Matthis Abline, Aleksandr Golovin and Mathys Detourbet, with Mika Biereth leading the attack.
That shape gives Monaco several attacking options if they can progress cleanly through Liverpool’s first pressure.
Minamino absence removes an Anfield subplot
Takumi Minamino will not be available to face his former club because he has yet to recover from a knee injury.
His absence means Monaco are expected to use attacking alternatives including Abline, Detourbet and Biereth.
For Liverpool’s defence, that makes preparation less about one familiar individual and more about controlling multiple attacking positions.
Biereth could provide the central reference point, while the players around him can challenge Liverpool in different channels.
This is where the return of Van Dijk could become especially valuable.
Liverpool’s back line will need to decide when to step forward and when to protect space behind. Against a Monaco attack capable of scoring eight times during four friendlies, careless spacing could be punished.
The Leeds defeat has already delivered that warning once.
Nobody at Anfield needs the sequel.
Recent form points towards volatility
Looking beyond the summer fixtures reinforces the possibility of an unpredictable contest.
Liverpool’s last six results read DLDWWL. They have won two, drawn two and lost two, scoring an average of 1.83 goals and conceding two per game.
Both teams scored in 83% of those matches.
Their six games averaged 3.83 total goals.
Monaco’s corresponding sequence is LLWLDW, containing two victories, one draw and three defeats. They averaged two goals scored and two conceded, with their six matches producing four total goals per game on average.
Those figures do not dictate what happens on Sunday, particularly in a friendly where substitutions can fundamentally alter the rhythm.
They do, however, reveal why defensive control should be one of the dominant themes.
Both teams have recently been involved in matches where goals have arrived freely.
Liverpool and Monaco share a balanced competitive history
The clubs are level at one competitive victory apiece in their meetings.
That historical balance gives neither team much psychological ownership of the fixture, although Sunday’s circumstances are far more relevant than anything that happened previously.
Liverpool are beginning a new managerial cycle under Iraola.
Monaco are also working under Filipe Luis and preparing for a season in which their seventh-place Ligue 1 finish needs to be improved.
Both sides therefore arrive in transition, with systems being tested and players being assessed.
That is what gives the match its real substance.
Why the second half could tell Iraola the most
Liverpool’s opening 45 minutes against Leeds showed what their football can look like when the structure functions.
The second 45 showed how quickly that structure can disappear.
Sunday therefore offers Iraola an important opportunity to assess not merely his preferred starters but the strength of the squad beneath them.
Mass substitutions are normal in friendlies. Competitive matches also require replacements, injuries, tactical changes and moments when the first-choice configuration no longer exists.
A team’s identity cannot vanish whenever three or four players leave the pitch.
That may be the most significant technical lesson available to Liverpool against Monaco.
Can the pressing distances remain coherent after substitutions? Can possession still be controlled? Can the defensive line receive the same protection? Can younger players enter without the collective structure collapsing?
Those questions matter considerably more than another friendly scoreline.
A revealing Anfield afternoon awaits
Liverpool begin their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United on August 23, giving Iraola further time to refine his ideas, but every pre-season fixture now carries increasing significance.
Monaco have even less breathing room before their Conference League playoff begins on August 20.
Both managers therefore need progress.
For Liverpool, that means combining the attacking quality already evident this summer with a substantially more reliable defensive platform. The returns of Alisson and Van Dijk should help, while Munoz adds another option to an attack undergoing significant change.
For Monaco, the challenge is to build upon the clean sheet against Getafe while showing that their attacking production can survive against stronger pressure away from home.
Sunday will not answer every question surrounding either club. Pre-season football rarely does.
But it can expose problems before those problems begin costing league points.
Liverpool discovered that rather dramatically against Leeds. Monaco have experienced their own inconsistency across a two-win, one-draw and one-defeat summer.
Now comes Anfield, Iraola’s first home appearance and another test of whether Liverpool’s new era can produce something more valuable than entertainment: control.
📊 Market Explainer
Both Teams to Score (BTTS)
Selection: Both Teams To Score YES. Both teams must score at least once during normal time. The match winner does not matter; the selection is settled only by whether each side finds the net.
Correct Score Market
Selection: Liverpool vs Monaco 3-1. Predict the exact score at the end of 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties do not count unless the bookmaker states otherwise.
🎯 Pick 1: Both Teams To Score YES @ 8/15
Andoni Iraola’s debut at Anfield arrives at a time when Liverpool demonstrate impressive offensive productivity paired with noticeable defensive volatility. The Reds generated seven goals across friendlies against Sunderland, Wrexham, and Leeds, yet conceded six times in that same stretch. A second-half breakdown against Leeds exposed structural issues when mid-game substitutions disrupted the team balance, demonstrating how quickly stability deteriorates when pressing distances stretch. While Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker return to anchor the spine, central defensive uncertainty surrounding Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni may require Mor Talla Ndiaye to step into the lineup. On the opposite side, Monaco present considerable attacking variety under Filipe Luis, having scored eight times across four summer games through Mika Biereth, Matthis Abline, Aleksandr Golovin, and Mathys Detourbet. However, Monaco allowed six goals during those four matches, keeping only one clean sheet against Getafe. With both sides averaging around four goals per match in recent runs and displaying defensive openness, offensive quality routinely outpaces defensive resistance.
🎯 Tactical Indicators
- Liverpool scored seven goals and conceded six across three pre-season friendlies, showing attacking promise but defensive fragility.
- Monaco netted eight goals and allowed six in four friendlies, with only one clean sheet, indicating attacking strength and defensive vulnerability.
- Both teams scored in 83% of Liverpool’s last six matches, with an average of nearly four goals per game, suggesting an open, high-scoring match.
Risk Factor: The return of Van Dijk and Alisson may stabilize Liverpool’s defense, but substitutions and structural changes could still cause instability.
Key Tactical Mismatch
Liverpool scored 7 goals in 3 friendlies with key players like Wirtz, Isak, Munoz, and Van Dijk returning.
Monaco seek only their second away win in six matches while conceding six goals in four summer games.
🎯 Pick 2: Liverpool vs Monaco 3-1 @ 10/1
A 3-1 victory for Liverpool aligns logically with the underlying metrics of two goal-heavy teams meeting at Anfield. Liverpool hold a strong home record, dropping only two defeats across their past 18 matches at Anfield. Despite experiencing a 4-2 loss to Leeds, Iraola’s primary unit displayed high-level creation by building a 2-0 halftime advantage. With Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Victor Munoz, and Dominik Szoboszlai steering the attack, Liverpool maintain ample firepower to penetrate a Monaco defence that conceded twice against Cercle Bruges and twice against Sporting Lisbon. Conversely, Monaco carry sufficient frontline depth through Mika Biereth, Matthis Abline, and Aleksandr Golovin to exploit remaining transition gaps in Liverpool’s setup, even with Takumi Minamino unavailable due to a knee injury. Monaco scored in three of their four summer friendlies, averaging two goals per match over their past six games. However, Filipe Luis’s squad struggles away from home, winning just once in five road fixtures while trying to avoid a third straight away loss. Liverpool’s home supremacy combined with Monaco’s regular scoring habit makes 3-1 a compelling outcome.
Risk Factor: Second-half substitutions might disrupt Liverpool’s attacking flow or defensive coordination, affecting total goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Both Teams To Score YES market mean?
It means both Liverpool and Monaco must score at least one goal each during normal time for the bet to win.
How does the Correct Score market work?
You predict the exact final scoreline at the end of regulation time; any deviation loses the bet.
Why is Both Teams To Score YES logical for this match?
Both teams have shown strong attacking output and defensive vulnerabilities in recent friendlies, making goals likely for both.
What makes a 3-1 scoreline plausible?
Liverpool’s strong home scoring and Monaco’s away defensive struggles support a 3-1 outcome.
How do pre-season substitutions affect betting markets?
Substitutions can disrupt team structure, leading to defensive lapses and higher scoring, increasing market volatility.
How does Liverpool’s recent form line influence match predictions?
Liverpool’s few home defeats but several draws show resilience but not always dominance, affecting win expectations.
How does Minamino’s injury affect Monaco’s attack?
Monaco must rely on alternative attackers, but they retain scoring depth despite his absence.
What is the risk difference between Both Teams To Score and Correct Score markets?
Both Teams To Score covers any scoring by both sides, offering broader success; Correct Score requires exact prediction, making it riskier.
