Camara grateful for Pogba’s advice to Monaco youngsters

Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara has expressed his gratitude towards team-mate Paul Pogba for his willingness to help younger players.

Pogba made his first appearance since September 2023 on November 22, having served an 18-month doping ban and struggled with injuries during his second stint with Juventus.

The Frenchman has been used sporadically by Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli, making just three substitute appearances over the last five games in all competitions.

But ahead of their upcoming Ligue 1 clash against Marseille, Camara spoke of the magnitude of Pogba’s early impact.

“Paul, everyone saw how important he is in the locker room. He’s very humble and truly a key figure in the team,” said Camara.

“His attitude every day made me think, ‘Wow, that’s the Pogba I’ve seen on TV.’ He’s always there for us, especially us younger players.

“We’re going to learn a lot and improve by his side. During the last match against Galatasaray, as soon as we scored, he called me over. He said, ‘Lamine, you need to control the game with Denis [Zakaria], keep pressing, keep possession of the ball.’

“He’s always there, and I hope it continues like this.”

Monaco are seventh in the French top flight ahead of their trip to Marseille, who are looking to close the gap on Lens and Paris Saint-Germain at the summit.

Mason Greenwood was recently backed to win a Ballon d’Or by Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi, but Camara believes they must not underestimate their other players.

“I would say that Marseille is a collective force,” added Camara.

“Mason Greenwood is a top player who can’t be given any leeway because he’s been performing well in the league, but I’m focusing more on the team.

“We’ve studied them, we’ve seen how they play, how they operate, so it’s up to us to put in a great performance.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marseille – Mason Greenwood

Greenwood has enjoyed a strong start to the 2025-26 season, leading the scoring charts in Ligue 1 with 10 goals, while also providing three assists as Marseille sit third in the league.

He has also scored three goals in six Champions League games this season, including a brace to help his side beat Union Saint-Gilloise 3-2 on Tuesday.

Monaco – Lamine Camara

Among Marseille players with at least 300 minutes in Ligue 1 this season, Arthur Vermeeren ranks first for tackles (3.0), pressures (83.0), and possessions won (6.4) per 90 minutes.

However, Monaco's Camara leads the Ligue 1 standings for the latter (8.1 possessions won per 90 mins – minimum 300 minutes).

MATCH PREDICTION – MARSEILLE WIN

Marseille have won their last home game against Monaco in Ligue 1 (2-1 in December 2024) but have not secured consecutive home victories against them in the top flight since 2005-2007 (three).

Marseille are second in Ligue 1 2025-26 for average possession share (60.4%), passing accuracy (90.0%) and passes per sequence (5.4), ranking only behind PSG for all three metrics (70.7% possession, 91.6% passing accuracy, 6.2 passes per sequence).

Monaco, meanwhile, have lost four of their last five Ligue 1 matches (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 21 (W12 D5).

They have also lost nine away Ligue 1 matches in 2025 (W4 D4), their most in the top flight in a single calendar year since 2006 (10).

However, Marseille have conceded 50 goals against Monaco in Ligue 1 since the latter's 2013 promotion, only letting in more against PSG (52) in that period.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Marseille – 48.5%

Draw – 23.7%

Monaco – 27.8%