Round of 16, second leg – Kick-off: 20-45 (CET)
First leg: CSKA Moscow 1-1 Sevilla
Sevilla coach Manuel Jimenez said the visit of CSKA Moscow “is very important for the club, the city, Andalusia and Spain.”
Either Sevilla or CSKA Moscow will reach their first Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night with the tie poised at 1-1 following a tight first leg in Russia.
“This match could be one of the most important matches of my life but honestly all matches are important for me,” said Jimenez. “It is a historic moment for every Sevilla FC fan who wants to see what will happen – if we can be among the top eight European teams. This match is very important for the club, the city, Andalusia and Spain. We have to increase our effort, motivation and precision to go through from this round.
“If they play like Deportivo La Coruna did on Saturday and we are better in attack I have no doubt we will improve on the result (a 1-1 draw) against Deportivo. I hope they have fewer chances to score.
“I don’t know what CSKA are going to do, I know what they did in Moscow. They played with the same organisation no matter if they were behind or level. There are no excuses, we have to give our all. Any player not 100% ready will not play. CSKA are a good team, of importance in Europe, and they have speed and a dangerous attack.
Jimenez will be without the injured Abdoulay Konko, while Alvaro Negredo is a doubt.
Meanwhile, CSKA coach, Leonid Slutsky, aware that a goalless draw will be of no use to his side, said his players will go for all-out attack tonight.
“We’re going to try and play attacking football as a goalless game is simply of no use to us,” he said. “It is possible that playmakers [Keisuke] Honda and [Alan] Dzagoev will be on the pitch together.
“For both teams, matches of such importance don’t come along very often. We will be doing everything possible to use this chance of getting to the quarter-final.
“It is normal for anyone to prefer it when it is 15C rather than -5C, so it is pleasant to be in a warmer place right now. Sevilla are good in very position; it’s a very well-balanced side and they have world-class attacking players.”
