Monaco's Falcao, Sidibe miss trip for crucial Besiktas clash

If Monaco is going to steal the three points at Besiktas on Wednesday to keep its narrow Champions League knockout stage hopes alive, it will have to do so without leading scorer Radamel Falcao and first-choice right-back Djibril Sidibe.

The defending Ligue 1 winner and European semi-finalist announced a 20-man squad for the Istanbul sojourn with a statement on its website Tuesday, adding that Sidibe is still receiving treatment for "pelvis pain" and Falcao is "following a specific training regime as he returns from injury."

Falcao, who leads the principality side with 15 goals in all competitions, missed the club's weekend victory against Bordeaux and will now be absent for Wednesday's must-win match at the Vodafone Arena. Against Les Girondins, summer signing Balde Keita started alone up top in a 4-2-3-1 formation and scored the opening goal, his second for the club in the last two matches.

Sidibe was also omitted from the squad against Bordeaux, with centre-back Andrea Raggi deputising out wide for the France international, and has not played since Monaco lost 2-1 to the Turkish giant at the Stade Louis II in the reverse continental fixture.

That defeat, paired with similarly disappointing results against RB Leipzig and Porto, has Monaco rock bottom on a single point, meaning a loss in Istanbul Wednesday will ensure Leonardo Jardim's lot fails to qualify for the knockout stage after last season's stellar semi-final run.