Adi Hütter: "You have to put in a top performance if you want to win the Derby" | OneFootball

Excited at the idea of ​​attacking the final sprint of Ligue 1 McDonald's with a big match in the race for Europe, the Monegasque manager spoke 48 hours before the Derby against Nice at the Stade Louis-II (9:05 p.m.).

Riding the wave of momentum at home after the international break. That will be the goal of the winning AS Monaco players, who’ve won their last four matches at tthe Stade Louis-II. And what better way to do this than to compete in the Côte d’Azur Derby against Nice this Saturday (9:05 p.m.)? It’s a clash that will be all the more important in the quest for the podium, which Nice is keen to reach as well, said Adi Hütter in the pre-match press conference. 🎙️

When you look at the standings, Saturday's match is obviously all the more exciting since we have the same number of points and the same goal difference! So it's a match that holds a lot of interest for both teams, and we're ready for it.

On Folarin Balogun

Balo’ is indeed back and available for Saturday’s match. He had the opportunity to play with the Elite Group against Brighton and had a very good match, scoring a hat-trick. He’s ready to play!

The Derby, a turning point?

It’s only one match, but it’s very important! It’s the Côte d’Azur Derby, so it’s an event for everyone: the Club, the supporters, and ourselves. However, it’s not the last match of the season, even though this game will kick off the final stretch with eight matches.

When you look at the standings, Saturday’s match is obviously all the more exciting since we have the same number of points and the same goal difference! So it’s a match that holds a lot of interest for both teams, and we’re ready for it.

The challenge at hand

We are fighting above all for three points, as we do in every match, but it is obviously a special moment of the season, in terms of the rivalry between the two teams. We are going to play at home, and we have gained confidence after the win in Angers. In any case, we’ll have to put in the best possible performance if we want to win. But what’s certain is that it’s going to be a spectacular match.

Returning from the international break

The players have arrived one after the other, so we will have to check with each of them if they feel well and how they are feeling. Especially for those who are returning from long trips like Vanderson who is back from Argentina and Takumi Minamino from Japan. Today we will see who is likely to participate in training and return to fitness by tomorrow or who will stay in the gym.

Nous avions perdu ce match durant lequel nous avions raté deux penalties. Ce sera un autre match, un autre challenge ! En tout cas, nous allons jouer à domicile où nous sommes deuxièmes du classement de Ligue 1. Donc c’est peut-être un avantage pour nous de disputer ces rencontres face à des adversaires directs à la maison.

In any case it’s good that Mohammed (Salisu) had playing time with Ghana, especially with two wins under his belt. Wilfried (Singo) had a very good match in Angers before also getting two wins with Ivory Coast. It’s good that some players get playing time with the national team if they’re slightly lacking it. And what’s more, they’re back in good health, so that’s the main thing.

On the change of goalkeepers

We’ll see if Philipp (Köhn) will remain in place until the end of the season. In any case, he will be in the starting eleven against Nice. We decided to make a change, and he had a clean sheet in Angers, where we were pleased with his performance. It’s unique as a coach to have to make this decision, even though you never know what can happen during a season.

We believe in all our players, and it’s important to remember that we win and lose together. No one is solely responsible for the results! We are obviously at a pivotal moment in the season, at the start of the final sprint, and we are fully focused on our objectives.

Last season’s Derby

We lost this match and missed two penalties. This is another match, another challenge! In any case, we will be playing at home where we are second in the Ligue 1 standings. So it may be an advantage for us to play these matches against direct opponents at home.

That said, no one will give us any gifts, even if we are at the Stade Louis-II, so we must work hard to prepare for these matches and to bring home results. But for that, we will first and foremost have to put in top performances, and that starts against Nice!

They're more aggressive, very physically strong, with players like Moïse Bombito and Evann Guessand, and they press intensely. They also get forward very quickly and have a very clear philosophy, with a three-man defense as the base and a 3-4-3 system that favors transitions.

On OGC Nice

To compare them a little with last season, I think they’ve changed their style of play. They’re more aggressive, very physically strong, with players like Moïse Bombito and Evann Guessand, and they press intensely. They also get forward very quickly and have a very clear philosophy, with a three-man defense as the base and a 3-4-3 system that favors transitions.

This is a bit of a change from last season’s Nice, which was more compact. There are players who can be threats to us, because, I repeat, they are one of the most physically strong teams in Ligue 1.

On the reverse fixture

We had a strong first half there; we dominated the match. For this reverse fixture, it will be very important to control our emotions, as that’s the key to playing a good match. And we saw this in Nice, when we were still 11 against 10, we were the better team on the pitch.

And after Vanderson’s sending off, the scenario completely changed! They still deserved their victory, even though the second goal was a big mistake on our part. We therefore dropped points in this first match of the season. We’ll have to keep our emotions in check once again!