Group G
Kick-off: 19:45 (BST)
CSKA Moscow lie bottom of Champions League Group G with their Russian title all but lost. But coach Valeri Gazzaev remains confident as they prepare to welcome Italian champions Internazionale.
A late Fenerbahçe equaliser three weeks ago left CSKA on one point from two games, while Inter recovered from their opening day defeat in Turkey to beat PSV 2-0, leaving CSKA two points adrift at the bottom.
Yet Gazzaev has some goood news with the return of playmaker Daniel Carvalho who made his first start after seven months out with a knee injury in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Tom Tomsk. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is training and nearing a comeback from knee ligament damage.
Gazzaev said: “This is the first time this season when all the lads have been fit, except for Chidi Odiah. Igor Akinfeev is training with the team every day and the boys appreciate his presence and support. I hope we will see him in action this year.
“I am concerned about Vágner Love because he was absent on international duty and played two tough matches, but we will examine him closely. Daniel Carvalho had a good 70 minutes at Tomsk. Generally, the mood is good and there are no problems.
“Inter have been the leaders of Serie A in recent years,” he added. “They have a good squad and are a hard team to break down.
“I have plenty of positive feelings. I hope these good feelings will help us against Inter.”
Inter maintained their three-point Serie A lead with a 1-0 victory at Reggina on Saturday, and they have Ivan Cordoba and Julio Cruz back from suspensions picked up in last season’s game at Valencia.
However, Cordoba’s fellow defenders Maicon and Nicolás Burdisso still have one and four matches respectively to serve from their bans, while Cristian Chivu and David Suazo were sent off against PSV and also miss out. To compound Inter’s defensive worries, Marco Materazzi remains sidelined by a thigh injury. Midfielder Dejan Stankovi? is also a doubt and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the two-goal hero against PSV, is struggling with illness. However, Patrick Vieira returned to the midfield against Reggina after shaking off a hamstring strain.
Coach Roberto Mancini said: “This is a crucial game for us, although it’s often like that in the Champions League. In the domestic league you can afford to make a mistake, while here every match can turn out to be decisive.
“Ibrahimovi? had flu but should be fine – we will decide on Tuesday about him. Stankovi? is struggling with a slight foot problem and we will also see how he is. But we are used to not having everyone available and we will try to make the best of what we have.”
