CSKA have old rivals Inter as their first guests
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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PFC CSKA Moskva welcome familiar opposition to the Russian capital for their first home game in Group B as they meet FC Internazionale Milano for the third time in the last five campaigns.
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PFC CSKA Moskva's first home game in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League reunites them with familiar opponents in FC Internazionale Milano.
• 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.
• While the Russian side fought back from two goals down earn a 2-2 draw at LOSC Lille Métropole on matchday one – Seydou Doumbia scoring twice in the final 18 minutes – Inter must regroup swiftly after suffering an unexpected 1-0 defeat by debutants Trabzonspor AŞ at San Siro. They have since parted company with coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Claudio Ranieri taking his place.
Previous meetings
• Two seasons ago, on 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 the Luzhniki Stadium on 6 April 2010 were:
CSKA: Akinfeev, Šemberas, Ignashevich, A Berezutski, V Berezutski (Odiah 14), Shennikov, Dzagoev, Mamayev, González, Honda (Rahimić 77), Necid (Guilherme 71).
Inter: César, Zanetti, Lúcio, Maicon, Samuel, Stanković, Sneijder (Muntari 86), Cambiasso, Eto'o, Milito (Balotelli 74), Pandev (Chivu 63).
• 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
• CSKA, taking part in the group stage for the sixth time, have won two of their six home games against Italian visitors, losing three. The most recent match came in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage when US Città di Palermo were defeated 3-0, Doumbia scoring twice with Tomáš Necid adding a late third.
• In the 2004/05 UEFA Cup semi-final they defeated Parma FC 3-0, progressing by the same aggregate score. Daniel Carvalho (2) and Vasili Berezutski scored for a CSKA side who went on to lift their first European trophy with a 3-1 final defeat of Sporting Clube de Portugal.
• In their last UEFA Champions League participation two seasons ago, CSKA won two home games in the group stage and lost the other. Before facing Inter they had seen off the challenge of Sevilla FC in the round of 16 with a 2-1 win in Spain after the home leg ended 1-1.
• In seven visits to Moscow for European ties, Inter have only suffered one defeat. That came in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage when FC Lokomotiv Moskva beat them 3-0. The Nerazzurri have four victories in all, the other two coming against FC Spartak Moskva, 1-0 in the 2006/07 group stage and 2-1 in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup semi-final second leg to complete a 4-2 aggregate success.
• Inter, competing in the tournament for the 11th time, have qualified for the knockout rounds in eight of the last nine years. Last season they failed in their quest to become the first UEFA Champions League winners to successfully defend their crown, going out in the quarter-finals to FC Schalke 04, losing 5-2 at home and 2-1 in Germany.
• In the round of 16 they suffered a 1-0 home first-leg defeat by FC Bayern München before rescuing the tie with a 3-2 away win. On their travels in the group stage the Italian club lost 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur FC and 3-0 against SV Werder Bremen having first drawn 2-2 with FC Twente.
Team ties
• Keisuke Honda and Yuto Nagatomo are team-mates in the Japan national team.
• Chidi Odiah and Joel Obi play alongside each other with 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.