Brentford B head to AS Monaco in an 11am kick-off local time on Wednesday. They will come up against an Under-21 side from the Ligue 1 club in what will be another brilliant learning experience for our young Bees. The match will be played behind closed doors.

Having had the opportunity to play matches in Italy and the Netherlands so far this season, Neil MacFarlane’s team have had some brilliant matches against the likes of Como 1907, as well as Jong PSV and Jong AZ Alkmaar. Next stop for them is a trip to the French Riviera where they will come up against a talented Monaco group.

Waruih excited for Monaco test

B Team midfielder Angel Waruih is excited for another overseas test which will further challenge him and his teammates. On the upcoming test, he said: “For me, playing a team like Monaco, who I haven’t played before, will be a good experience. It’s a chance to come up against opponents that you wouldn’t normally see every week. It’s a great opportunity for you to express yourself but it’s important that we treat it like any other game.”

Angel Waruih is excited ahead of the trip to Monaco

MacFarlane on Monaco

Having seen his team seal top spot of Group D in the Premier League Cup last week, B Team Head Coach Neil MacFarlane says the trip to Monaco is further representation of the variety in the fixture programme having seen his team turn out against non-league opposition and then a talented Aston Villa side in the Premier League Cup in the past week.

Discussing the test against Monaco, MacFarlane said: “Last Tuesday we came back from the dead against Erith to get through in the London Senior Cup, we’ve played a high-level Premier League Cup game and now we’re on our travels to Monaco. It will be another terrific game like it was last season and it’s about that continuation of really pushing these players through our games programme.”

Neil MacFarlane's side have won their first two matches of 2023

About AS Monaco

Monaco's Under-21s used to play in the fourth tier of French football but opted to leave the format in 2022. Their young players compete in the Premier League International Cup, which includes 12 Premier League academy sides as well as 12 other elite European academy sides. This means Monaco are well accustomed to coming up against English opposition having taken on the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Manchester United in recent months. They currently sit fifth in Group D of the competition after three games having won once and lost twice. Prior to Christmas, the side were also in action against Valencia where the Spanish side won 4-2 whilst they also beat FC Liefering 2-1.

Last time we met

This will be the second successive season that that the B Team will head for Monaco having made the trip in February 2022. Back then, they came up against a side packed with experience. Cesc Fabregas, a World Cup winner, featured in the centre of midfield as he looked to dictate things whilst Kevin Volland and Aleksandr Golovin were also involved for the home team. It was a match where the young Bees put in an assured performance. With the match at 1-1 after Nathan Young-Coombes levelled just before the break, Monaco then took the lead and kept it as Eric Ayiah tricked his way into the box before sealing a win for the Ligue 1 side.

Match Coverage

The match will be played behind closed doors but we will be providing updates at half-time and full-time whilst we will also provide highlights of the fixture.