Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Monaco ready for RB Leipzig UCL test despite heavy Nice defeat - Jemerson

Monaco defender Jemerson has said he believes the French champions will shrug off an emphatic derby defeat at the weekend and begin their Champions League challenge strongly at RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Centre-back Jemerson was in the side swept away 4-0 by Nice as Monaco crashed to defeat after starting their title defence with four straight wins.

The principality club reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, and Jemerson said: "The game against Nice has not put doubt into the team.

"We weren't good, it's as simple as that, but we have to think about Leipzig and work on our mistakes to be ready tomorrow.

"It's difficult to know if we'll be as good as last season. We had a really good run, and we'll have to prepare ourselves to do the same thing, taking match after match, like last year."

Monaco have progressed from the group stage in each of their last four Champions League campaigns and appear the strongest team in Group G, which also features Porto and Besiktas.

They kick off their campaign in a city where no French club has ever won, but coach Leonardo Jardim said: "We're coming here to play a Champions League game, it's a new challenge.

"We give some value to history and statistics, but it's the present that counts."

Jardim will be without Thomas Lemar after the France international pulled a hamstring against Nice and said: "We're missing a key player but that's life, it's just the way it is."

The coach, who could use summer signings Stevan Jovetic or Rachid Ghezzal in Lemar's role, told France Football he would be talked of in the same breath as Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola if he coached a bigger club.

"In terms of trophies, I'm behind them. But if I had the possibility to coach their clubs, I think I'd be at the same level," he added.

"To win trophies, it's better to coach the strongest teams. Bayern, City, Barcelona... When you coach a team like that, it's easier to win. Like coaching Paris [Saint-Germain] in France."

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