Roma v CSKA Moskva background

Having got their UEFA Champions League challenge up and running in style on matchday two, Roma will once again be relying on their impressive home form when CSKA Moskva come to the Stadio Olimpico, although the Russian side are also in buoyant mood after a memorable result last time out.

• The Italian club are on three points, lying second in Group G on goal difference, and now face the side immediately above them, CSKA having collected four points from their first two fixtures – and got the better of holders Real Madrid in their last outing.

Previous meetings
• Roma picked up four points when the sides met in the 2014/15 group stage, winning 5-1 in Italy – the only home victory in the clubs' four contests – before a 1-1 draw in Russia.

• In the 1991/92 European Cup Winners' Cup first round, Roma went through on away goals thanks to a 2-1 first-leg win in Moscow; the Giallorossi progressed despite a 1-0 reverse in the home return.

Form guide
Roma
• Having opened with a 3-0 loss at holders Real Madrid – Roma's fifth successive away defeat in Europe – the Italian side bounced back by beating Viktoria Plzeň 5-0 on matchday two, Roma's record UEFA Champions League victory.

• Third in Serie A in 2017/18, Roma are in the group stage for an 11th time and the fourth in five years.

• Roma, runners-up in the 1983/84 European Cup, reached the semi-finals last season, losing to Liverpool. They finished top of a group including Chelsea and Atlético Madrid, before beating Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona in the knockout rounds – the latter particularly memorable, as a 4-1 away defeat was followed by a 3-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico – before succumbing to Liverpool.

• The Rome club won all three home matches in last season's knockout rounds and five of their six matches at the Stadio Olimpico, drawing against Atlético Madrid on matchday one. They kept clean sheets in the first five matches, before a 4-2 win against Liverpool in the semi-final second leg.

• Roma have now won seven of their last 14 home matches in the UEFA Champions League – qualifying included – losing four.

• The Giallorossi have won three of their four home matches against Russian clubs, and six of eight, home and away (D1 L1) – the sole defeat that 1991 loss at home to CSKA.

CSKA Moskva 
• Having come from two goals down to salvage a point at Plzeň on matchday one, CSKA built on that result as Nikola Vlašić – who had scored an added-time penalty equaliser against Plzeň – got the only goal, in the second minute, against Real Madrid in Moscow.

• This is CSKA's 12th UEFA Champions League campaign, equalling the Russian record previously held alone by Spartak Moskva.

• In 2017/18 CSKA finished third behind Manchester United and Basel in their UEFA Champions League section, going on to beat Crvena zvezda and Lyon in the UEFA Europa League before losing to Arsenal in the quarter-finals (1-4 away, 2-2 home).

• The Russian club won five of their eight away European games in 2017/18 (D1 L2), although only one of the last four.

• CSKA had won their last two matches in Italy before that 2014 defeat at Roma; their record away to Serie A sides is W3 D1 L4.

Links and trivia
• Have played in Italy:
Abel Hernández (Palermo 2009–14)
Hördur Magnússon (Juventus 2010–15, Spezia 2013/14 loan, Cesena 2014–16 loan)

• Has played in Russia:
Iván Marcano (Rubin Kazan 2012–14)

• Have played together:
Javier Pastore & Abel Hernández (Palermo 2009–11)

• International team-mates:
Ante Ćorić & Nikola Vlašić (Croatia)

Latest news

Roma
• Roma picked up only five points from their first five Serie A games – their worst start to a season since 2010/11. However, they had won four matches in all competitions, including three in the league, before losing 2-0 at home to SPAL on Saturday.

• Despite drawing a blank at the weekend, Eusebio Di Francesco's side have scored 14 goals in their last five matches– double their total from the first six games of the season. Roma have also kept three clean sheets in those five matches, having managed only one in the first six.

• Steven N'Zonzi scored his first Roma goal in the 2-0 win at Empoli on 6 October – the 12th Roma player to find the net in 2018/19 – with Edin Džeko also on target.

• Džeko, who scored a hat-trick on matchday two, also struck twice in Bosnia and Herzegovina's UEFA Nations League win against Northern Ireland on 15 October, his blank on Saturday making it six goals in five appearances for club and country.

• Patrik Schick scored the Czech Republic's winner against Slovakia (2-1) in the UEFA Nations League on 13 October.

• Justin Kluivert scored in the Netherlands' 3-0 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying wins against both Latvia on 12 October and Ukraine four days later.

• Aleksandar Kolarov has not played since matchday two and left the Serbia camp to recover from a fractured toe – Daniele De Rossi is carrying a similar problem.

• Javier Pastore was sidelined following the 3-1 derby victory against Lazio on 29 September due to a calf injury before returning as a substitute in the SPAL defeat.

• Diego Perotti picked up a calf injury in a 2-0 loss at Bologna on 23 September. Rick Karsdorp (thigh) has not played since 16 September.

CSKA Moskva
• On 27 July CSKA beat city rivals Lokomotiv 1-0 to win the Russian Super Cup, Khetag Khosonov scoring the extra-time winner.

• Fedor Chalov is the Russian Premier League's top scorer after 11 games with eight goals, including the second in Friday's 2-0 win at Anji.

• CSKA's nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W5 D4) was ended by a 1-0 home loss against Lokomotiv on 7 October.

• On 10 October CSKA lost 3-0 on penalties against second division Tyumen after a 1-1 draw in the Russian Cup round of 32.

• Jaka Bijol won his first cap for Slovenia on 13 October as a half-time substitute in the 1-0 UEFA Nations League loss to Norway.

• Ilzat Akhmetov, Chalov and Ivan Oblyakov scored in Russia's 5-1 win against FYR Macedonia in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying on 12 October. Four days later, Chalov's two goals were not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat by Austria that ended Russia's hope of a finals place.

• Nikola Vlašić was on target in Croatia's 4-0 victory against San Marino on 15 October that booked a place in next summer's U21 tournament.

• Vlašić also opened the scoring at Anji on Friday and has four goals in his last six CSKA appearances.

• Konstantin Kuchaev (knee) is back in full training having not played this season while Khosonov (metаtarsal) made his first appearance since 31 July at Anji on Friday.

• Kristijan Bistrović had ankle surgery on 5 September and faces a lengthy recovery. Viktor Vasin and Aleksandr Makarov are still short of fitness after cruciate knee ligament injuries while Abel Hernández has been out since 15 September with a thigh problem; Hördur Magnússon was out between 15 September and Iceland's UEFA Nations League defeat by Switzerland on 15 October with a similar injury.