Richard: First half wasn't bad. The second half, particularly after Jhon Duran came on to partner Ollie Watkins, was devoid of any creativity and drive from Villa. Monaco did well to crowd the midfield. Predicting an end-to-end, raucous finale against Celtic full of goals, but will it be enough?

Passing into the mouth of danger once and being bitten early did not scare Villa away from their desire to play the same way. When passes were crisp and accurate, they broke through Monaco lines, with Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey all having shooting opportunities.

Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, right, passes the ball as Monaco's Denis Zakaria defends during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Monaco and Aston Villa at the Louis II stadium in Monaco, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. Credit: AP/Laurent Cipriani