CSKA Moskva v Sporting CP background

CSKA Moskva must put an end to a sluggish run of European home form if they are to make it past Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.

Previous meetings
• Islam Slimani hit the winner as Sporting CP beat CSKA 2-1 in the first leg, Seydou Doumbia having equalised for the Army Men after earlier seeing his penalty saved by Rui Patrício.

• In the sides' sole previous encounter, Valeri Gazzaev's CSKA beat José Peseiro's Sporting CP 3-1 in the 2005 UEFA Cup final, held at Sporting CP's Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Aleksei Berezutski, Yuri Zhirkov and Vágner Love scored after Rogério's first-half strike as CSKA became the first Russian club to claim a major European trophy.

• The teams for that game on 18 May 2005 were:
Sporting: Ricardo, Miguel Garcia, Enakarhire, Beto, Rogério (Douala 80), Pedro Barbosa, Rochemback, Moutinho (Hugo Viana 88), Tello, Liedson, Sá Pinto (Niculae 73).
CSKA: Akinfeev*, A Berezutski*, Ignashevich*, V Berezutski*, Odiah, Aldonin (Gusev 86), Dani Carvalho (Šemberas 82), Rahimić, Zhirkov, Olić (Krašić 67), Vágner Love.

* still registered to play for the club

Form guide
• CSKA are without a win in six European home games (D3 L3) since a 3-2 triumph against Viktoria Plzeň in October 2013.

• Sporting are without a victory in 14 European matches on the road (D4 L10), their last win coming at Zürich in a September 2011 UEFA Europa League group stage fixture.

• CSKA have lost three of their four competitive home games against Portuguese opposition – all three of those defeats coming against Porto in Moscow. Their only home success against Liga opponents was a 2-0 against Benfica in a 2005 UEFA Cup contest staged in Krasnodar.

• Sporting's two visits to Moscow ended in a defeat and, more recently, a draw against Spartak Moskva.

• Sporting CP went down to Fiorentina on away goals in their sole previous UEFA Champions League play-off in 2009/10.

• This is CSKA's first UEFA Champions League play-off. 

Links and trivia
• CSKA right-back Mário Fernandes and Sporting CP left-back Jefferson started their careers together in Brazil at São Caetano.

• Sporting CP's Slimani netted for Algeria in a 1-1 draw against a Russia side featuring CSKA's Igor Akinfeev, Sergei Ignashevich, Vasili Berezutski and Alan Dzagoev at last summer's FIFA World Cup.

• Sporting CP right-back João Pereira figured in a 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 32 tie against CSKA with Benfica. His team lost 2-0 in Russia then drew 1-1 in Lisbon.

• New Sporting coach Jorge Jesus oversaw six matches against Russian sides in his previous role as Benfica coach. His charges lost all three of their games in Russia, while their home record in those ties was W2 L1.