CSKA's slim chance at Inter
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Article summary
PFC CSKA Moskva must get three points at Group B winners FC Internazionale Milano and hope LOSC Lille Métropole and Trabzonspor AŞ draw to go through and Leonid Slutski vowed to attack.
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PFC CSKA Moskva must get three points at UEFA Champions League Group B winners FC Internazionale Milano and hope LOSC Lille Métropole and Trabzonspor AŞ draw to reach the round of 16 and Leonid Slutski knows the visitors "must play differently to usual. Claudio Ranieri has called for a "good reaction" from Inter to their weekend loss as they defend a perfect record against CSKA.
Inter
Coach Claudio Ranieri
I'm very focused on tomorrow's game. I want my team to perform well. Winning means money for the club and maintaining our high European ranking. We have already qualified, but we have to be professional. I want to see a good reaction. This game has a great value for us: we have to prove our mental strength to ourselves first, and to our club and supporters.
We suffered a bad defeat against Udinese on Saturday, but we certainly won't give up. We are working hard and we'll continue to do so. I don't believe in fate. I don't care who we meet in the next round. Our aim is to always do our best and perform well when it matters.
Weekend result
• Saturday: Inter 0-1 Udinese Calcio (Isla 73)
Júlio César; Zanetti, Ranocchia, Samuel, Chivu (Stanković 80); Faraoni (Zárate 62), Cambiasso, Motta, Álvarez (Nagatomo 46); Milito, Pazzini
• In a frantic last five minutes, Javier Zanetti received a second yellow card for conceding a penalty (his first in Serie A), which Júlio César saved from Antonio Di Natale, before Giampaolo Pazzini missed a spot kick of his own. Damiano Ferronetti, cautioned for giving away that penalty, was booked again seconds later.
Team news
Maicon and Wesley Sneijder are out of the squad after thigh injuries and Lúcio also will not play. Júlio César has been rested and will be replaced by reserve goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi, while Dejan Stanković will be available to face CSKA despite not training on Tuesday.
CSKA Moskva
Coach Leonid Slutski
We are in good shape and have improved since our last outing against Lille. It's not easy to make comparisons to previous meetings with Inter [over the past four years]: a lot has changed, from the coaches to the strikers. [Because of the situation] we'll have to play differently to usual.
Yuto Nagatomo is a very good player: he plays for Inter and that says it all. In Moscow [where Inter won 3-2 on matchday two] he performed very well and he was a very important factor in helping Inter going forward; two years ago Diego Milito was the best player in the Champions League. But we have a great offensive unit of our own and we will try to prove on the pitch tomorrow night.
Weekend result
• The Premier-Liga winter break started at the end of November, with CSKA six points behind leaders FC Zenit St Petersburg after winning just four of their last 15 league fixtures.
Team news
Sergei Ignashevich is available after recovering from a sprained ankle suffered on matchday five. Viktor Vasin, yet to make his competitive debut for CSKA after suffering a cruciate ligament injury shortly following his arrival at the club at the start of 2011, has been an unused substitute for the past seven games. Igor Akinfeev (knee), Zoran Tošić (knee), Tomáš Necid (knee) and Mark González (hip) are long-term absentees.
Match fact
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 just earlier this season.
