Arsenal legend Thierry Henry begins Monaco managerial stint

Three things to watch out for this weekend

1 Ligue 1 strugglers need some va va voom
Thierry Henry's punditry skills divided opinions but the former Sky analyst will need to get his message across with total clarity if he’s to dig Monaco out of their current hole.

A few weeks after Patrick Vieira arrived in Nice, Henry becomes the second Arsenal old boy to head for the Med, taking charge of ailing Monaco for the first time with a tricky trip to Strasbourg.

Top three last season but bottom three this term, the Monaco team Henry has inherited from Leonardo Jardim are a pale shadow of the one crowned champions 18 months ago.

And, as any Southampton fan will tell you, if you keep selling your best players you’ll get bitten before long.

Despite only one win in 12 in all competitions, 'Titi mania' has erupted and punters are all over Monaco for their trip to La Meinau.

2 Swans out to spoil Smith's Villa party
Villa Park will be roaring when new boss Dean Smith and his estimable hired hand John Terry make their way pitchside before kick-off in Aston Villa's showdown with Swansea – but fans might be yawning by the interval.

It’s a big day for all concerned (Swans boss Graham Potter would also have had this is in his diary as an ex-Birmingham City man from Solihull) – but statistically it could also be incredibly dull. Or at least the first 45 minutes might be.

Swansea have travelled six times for Sky Bet Championship assignments and those matches did not yield a single first-half goal.

It’s 9-5 that Swansea can complete the not-so-magnificent seven with yet another first half 0-0.

3 Sorry Saints could be picked off by Cherries
Southampton and Bournemouth will never be derby rivals in the true sense of the phrase, though Saints fans could probably do with a dose of local hostility to stir their players into action.

Going into their Premier League showdown at Dean Court the clubs seem to be heading in different directions, and not the ones the layers had envisaged.

Bournemouth, impressing under Eddie Howe’s astute leadership, are 10-11 for a top-half finish having been 5-2 in August. Southampton’s top-half odds, conversely, are out to 6-1 from 7-4.

So the teams may not be bitter foes but Saints supporters may be worried that they could soon be renewing genuine derby hostilities with Pompey – perhaps as early as next season in the Championship.

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