Group B – Kick-off 19:45 (BST)
CSKA Moscow coach Leonid Slutski is focusing on Besiktas’ “weak points” as his side seek the win they hope will be enough to pip Wolfsburg to second place in Champions League Group B.
CSKA must collect more points in Istanbul than Wolfsburg get at home to Manchester United FC to be sure of entering the first knockout round, but the hosts also want victory as they look to earn a place in the Europa League round of 32 at their visitors’ expense.
“In the early stages of our campaign, I predicted that eight points would be enough to advance,” said Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli. “Now, seven points could take us into the Europa League provided we beat CSKA and Wolfsburg snatch a point or beat Manchester United.
“We’re not in an advantageous position. The only thing we can do is to defeat CSKA and see what happens. No matter how hard the obstacle is, Beşiktaş have proved in the past that they can overcome it. I have faith Wolfsburg will get a result.
“So far, we have been unable to score at home, but I don’t think that increases the pressure. Looking back through the campaign, except the Wolfsburg match, we created lots of chances and we’ll do our utmost to score. We could have snatched a point from the game in Moscow. We could have won away at Wolfsburg and beaten Manchester United at home.
“There’s no point living in the past, though. I won’t modify our playing style. I can understand the goalscoring difficulties that Nihat Kahveci is experiencing but I’m aware of his qualities.”
Meanwhile, Slutski said his players must ignore events elsewhere and concentrate and securing the win in Turkey.
“There are many factors, both positive and negative, that can affect the result of a game,” he said. “However, instead of focusing on them, we’ll try to concentrate on the weak points of our opponents to get a win.
“Our other two group rivals will meet as well, but it is illogical to think about the things that you can’t control. We’ll think about the things that we can change and the scoreboard will tell you how the game is going.
“In tomorrow’s game, we’ll play to fulfil different targets. Our first target is victory. According to the result of the Manchester United-Wolfsburg tie, we’ll either continue in the Champions League or switch to the Europa League, but it’s better to play for a win in any case.”
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