Manchester City v CSKA background

Manchester City FC and PFC CSKA Moskva are each aiming to secure a much-needed first victory in Group E – and deliver a possible knockout blow to their opponents in the process – when they meet on matchday four.

• The teams drew 2-2 in Khimki on matchday three as CSKA retrieved a two-goal half-time deficit.

Previous meetings
• City beat CSKA 5-2 at home on 5 November last year – the same date as this season's meeting. They had won 2-1 in Moscow on matchday three.

• The lineups in Manchester last year were:
Manchester City: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Nastasić, Demichelis, Clichy, Nasri (Navas 77), Fernandinho (Milner 46), Touré, Silva (Kolarov 66), Negredo, Agüero.
CSKA: Akinfeev, Nababkin, A Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov, Milanov (Elm 46), Wernbloom, Tošić, Honda (Vitinho 79), Musa (Zuber 45), Doumbia.

Match background

Manchester City
• Third-placed City's loss of a 2-0 lead in drawing at CSKA last time out means they have only two points from three Group E fixtures, having earlier lost at FC Bayern München (0-1) and drawn with AS Roma (1-1).

• Manuel Pellegrini's men reached the last 16 last term but finished third in their group in 2011/12 and fourth in 2012/13 when they failed to win a game.

• The English title holders have won only two of their eight home fixtures in the UEFA Champions League.

• Sergio Agüero has scored seven goals in four outings against Russian clubs, including a double in Club Atlético de Madrid's 3-3 draw at FC Lokomotiv Moskva in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage.

CSKA
• Leonid Slutski's side sit bottom of Group E with one point, having lost against Roma (1-5) and Bayern (0-1) before their fightback against City.

• CSKA have never won in England, where their record reads W0 D3 L2.

• Alan Dzagoev and Vasili Berezutski scored in CSKA's 3-3 draw at Manchester United FC on 3 November 2009 in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage. Igor Akinfeev, Aleksei Berezutski, Sergei Ignashevich and Georgi Schennikov also played.

• The same six players are all survivors of CSKA's last victory over Premier League opposition – 2-0 at home against Aston Villa FC (3-1 on aggregate) in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 32.

• The Russian club lost the 2005 UEFA Super Cup 3-1 to Liverpool FC in Monaco.

Coach and player links
• As Villarreal CF coach in 2007/08, Pellegrini suffered an away-goals defeat by FC Zenit in the UEFA Cup round of 32 (0-1 a, 2-1 h). He also oversaw Málaga CF's 3-0 home win against the Russian club in September 2012, and a 2-2 away draw two months later.

• In the 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage, Vincent Kompany captained Belgium to a 1-0 success over a Russia team including Akinfeev, Ignashevich, Vasili Berezutski and Dzagoev.

• Fernando helped Porto overcome CSKA (1-0 a, 2-1 h) in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League round of 16.

• Jesús Navas was in the Sevilla FC side ousted 3-2 on aggregate by CSKA in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League round of 16 (1-1 a, 1-2 h).

• Edin Džeko scored for VfL Wolfsburg in a 2-1 loss at CSKA in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Fernandinho beat CSKA with FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16, converting a penalty in a 2-0 second-leg win in Ukraine (2-1 agg).

• Gaël Clichy played for Arsenal FC against CSKA (0-1 a, 0-0 h) in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage. In the same section, Kompany appeared in Hamburger SV's 1-0 defeat at CSKA.

• A decade ago, Frank Lampard tackled CSKA on these two same middle matchdays with Chelsea FC – prevailing 2-0 at home on 20 October 2004 and 1-0 away. CSKA's lineup included Akinfeev, Ignashevich and Aleksei Berezutski.

• David Silva scored past Akinfeev in Spain's 3-0 victory over Russia in the UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finals.

• Zoran Tošić made five substitute appearances for Manchester United FC (2009–10).

• Other player connections:
Tošić and Stevan Jovetić at FK Partizan (2007/08);
Tošić, Aleksandar Kolarov and Matija Nastasić with Serbia;
Seydou Doumbia and Yaya Touré with Ivory Coast.

Match facts

Manchester City
• Four days after squandering a two-goal lead in Khimki, Pellegrini's team lost 2-1 at West Ham United FC, halting their seven-match undefeated run.

• Holders City succumbed 2-0 at home to Newcastle United FC in the League Cup fourth round on 29 October. Silva was substituted early on with a knee injury and was subsequently ruled out for three weeks.

• Samir Nasri replaced Silva as he came on for his first appearance since undergoing groin surgery in late September.

• On Sunday, Agüero scored the only goal of the derby against ten-man Manchester United FC, his ninth in his last eight outings for City.

• Lampard has not played since being carried off with a thigh injury against Tottenham Hotspur FC on 18 October.

• The Citizens are a point and four places better off in the Premier League than at the same stage last season.

• Touré is among 23 players nominated for the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or. A three-man shortlist will be announced on 1 December, with the winner revealed on 12 January. Pellegrini is in the running for the men's coach award.

CSKA
• Pontus Wernbloom and Dzagoev completed their three-game suspensions on matchday three.

• Second-placed CSKA dropped seven points off the pace on Saturday when they lost 1-0 at home to league leaders FC Zenit.

• CSKA's run of six successive wins in domestic competition ended when they drew 3-3 at FK Ufa on 26 October. Behind three times, the Army Men rescued a point thanks to Bebras Natcho's 94th-minute penalty, his second spot kick of the match.

• Slutski's team progressed to the Russian Cup quarter-finals on 29 October, prevailing 2-0 at home against FC Torpedo Moskva. Konstantin Bazelyuk's opener was his first club goal of the campaign.

• Rasmus Elm (stomach) and Kirill Panchenko (knee) are still sidelined. Vitinho, fit after an ankle injury, was an unused substitute against Zenit.

• Akinfeev has conceded a goal in each of his past 24 UEFA Champions League matches. His last clean sheet in the competition came when CSKA drew 0-0 at Arsenal FC on 1 November 2006.