Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has warned Arsenal ahead of their Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday that the French side with the mean defence will be tough to break down.

"We'll play it solid and stop Arsenal's midfield and attackers from finding a way through," The Portuguese coach promised on the eve of the match.

Monaco may be finding it difficult to find goals after the departure of James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao last summer, but they currently have the tightest defence in Ligue 1, with just 19 goals conceded in 25 matches.

"We will be organised and ambitious. Our way is to seek solutions but we will play it our way, solid defensively and focussed on teamwork," he said.

"We won't go out there as favourites but we go out there in optimistic mood with hope of a good match and getting through to the next round," he added.

After a slow start to the Ligue 1 season Monaco went on a run of form that has lifted them to fourth, and they won their qualifying group ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St Petersburg and Benfica, conceding only one goal.