CSKA in need of a win and a helping hand

The table shows they are in last place in Group B but PFC CSKA Moskva can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. To do that, they must win at FC Internazionale Milano – already assured of finishing first in the section – while hoping for a draw between LOSC Lille Métropole and Trabzonspor AŞ.

• A 2-0 defeat at home to Lille two weeks ago left the Moscow club up against it. Inter's run of three successive victories came to a halt with a 1-1 draw in Turkey the same night, although the point was still enough to secure progress – and first place.

• In the reverse fixture on 27 September a late winner from substitute Mauro Zárate settled a thrilling five-goal contest in Inter's favour. For the second game in succession, CSKA had recovered from two goals down, Alan Dzagoev's free-kick and Vágner Love drawing them level after Lúcio and Giampaolo Pazzini had set the pace for the visitors. Zárate then secured victory in new coach Claudio Ranieri's first European game at the helm.

• It was a splendid way for the Nerazzurri to recover from the shock of losing at home to debutants Trabzonspor AŞ on matchday one. After winning in Moscow the 2010 UEFA Champions League winners recorded successive victories against Lille, 1-0 away and 2-1 at home.

• CSKA came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Lille on matchday one, Seydou Doumbia scoring twice in the final 18 minutes. They took four points off Trabzonspor, including a 3-0 home win, before the Lille reverse.

Previous meetings
• The clubs met in the quarter-finals two seasons ago having also crossed paths in the 2007/08 group stage, the Italian team coming out on top in all four games.

• In 2009/10, during Inter's march towards winning the UEFA Champions League for the first time, the San Siro quarter-final first leg ended with Diego Milito having given the home side the edge. A week later, Wesley Sneijder's early free-kick earned José Mourinho's team another 1-0 win.

• The lineups at San Siro on 31 March 2010 were:
Inter: César, Zanetti, Maicon, Samuel, Materazzi, Stanković, Sneijder, Cambiasso, Eto'o, Milito, Pandev (Mariga 90+4).
CSKA: Akinfeev, Šemberas, Ignashevich, A Berezutski, V Berezutski, Shennikov, Krasić, Mamaev (González 73), Honda (Dzagoev 70), Aldonin (Rahimić 76), Necid.

• In 2007/08, Inter had to come from behind to win both group games. In Moscow they triumphed 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Hernán Crespo (52) and Walter Samuel (80) following Jô's 32nd-minute opener for the hosts.

• Inter produced an even more spectacular comeback in Milan where they trailed 2-0 to goals from Jô and Vágner Love, Esteban Cambiasso and Zlatan Ibrahimović both scoring in each half to secure a 4-2 success.

Match background
• In six other home European games with Russian visitors, Inter have won five and drawn one, all but one victory coming by a single-goal margin.

• In four other away encounters against Serie A sides CSKA have won twice and lost only one. Their victories came in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage when they beat US Città di Palermo 3-0 and in the 1991/92 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round they beat AS Roma 1-0, although they still went out on away goals following a 2-1 home defeat.

• A 0-0 draw away to Parma FC in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup semi-final first leg set up a 3-0 home success as CSKA became the first side from Russia to win a European trophy.

Team ties
• Keisuke Honda and Yuto Nagatomo are team-mates with Japan.

• Chidi Odiah and Joel Obi has played together for Nigeria.

• Zoran Tošić and Dejan Stanković are team-mates with Serbia.

• Vágner Love plays for Brazil together with Júlio César, Lúcio and Maicon.

• Wesley Sneijder was on the losing side against Igor Akinfeev and Sergei Ignashevich when Russia beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals.