Gornik Zabrze vs AS Monaco Prediction 20.08.2026 | Europa Conference League

The team led by head coach Michal Gasparik kick-started their summer with immense ambitions, albeit navigating a highly turbulent continental journey. After lifting the Polish Cup in May and securing a stellar runner-up finish in the Ekstraklasa, Górnik successfully booked their long-awaited return to the Champions League qualifiers after a 38-year absence.

Unfortunately, the draw was far from kind to the Polish side, resulting in an immediate elimination by a powerful Fenerbahçe squad via a narrow 2-1 aggregate scoreline, before their subsequent drop into the Europa League qualifiers brought another minimal yet painful setback against Hungarian champions Ferencvaros, who knocked them out by the exact same 2-1 aggregate margin.

The Trójkolorowi now find themselves under an absolute imperative to succeed in Europe's third-tier competition, and their domestic home form certainly supplies plenty of reasons for optimism. The squad has enjoyed a brilliant start to the Polish Ekstraklasa campaign, maintaining a perfect record of three victories from as many league fixtures, which includes a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Wisła Krakow at the weekend.

In terms of team selection for this monumental clash, reliable midfielder Jarosław Kubicki has been completely ruled out of both legs against AS Monaco due to a fractured arm. Conversely, Norwegian forward Sondre Liseth remains fully at the manager's disposal for this European showdown, despite picking up a red card in the domestic league victory over Wisła.

The Principality club, meanwhile, arrive on Polish soil at a rather unique juncture, given that this fixture marks their very first official match of the new 2026-27 campaign. Monaco endured a modest seventh-place finish in France's Ligue 1 last term, only securing their ticket to European football thanks to RC Lens lifting the Coupe de France, a cup triumph that crucially vacated an additional qualification spot in the standings.

Under the guidance of Brazilian head coach Filipe Luis, who took the managerial reins earlier this summer, Les Monegasques will be desperate to bounce back and avoid a repeat of their recent display, having suffered a bitter 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted English Premier League outfit Coventry City in their final pre-season rehearsal.

Perhaps the biggest handicap for the visitors is the fact that the French domestic campaign does not kick off until three days after this European encounter when they travel to Le Havre. This scheduling gap means the squad heavily lacks the match sharpness and competitive rhythm that the Polish side have already well-developed through their seven official outings this summer.

The French club must also navigate this tricky away leg without several of their prominent figures, as starting duo Mohammed Salisu and Takumi Minamino remain sidelined long-term with knee ligament injuries. Furthermore, last season's top goalscorer Folarin Balogun has been entirely left out of the traveling squad as he edges closer to completing a high-profile transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.