CSKA Moscow-Real Madrid

Whites return to the Champions League as the only 

side to keep a clean sheet on the road thanks to having the best run in the history of the group stage

Alberto Navarro (Moscow) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Real Madrid return to Russia three years after their last match in the country. They are set to face CSKA Moscow this evening at 18:00 CET, looking to keep a clean sheet on the road in the UCL and to keep up the excellent streak that allowed them to have the best run in the history of the group stage. Real Madrid have the best undefeated run in away games in the championship out of all sides in the Last 16.

TEAM RUNS IN UCL
REAL MADRID	CSKA MOSCOW
D. Zagreb 0-1 Real Madrid	Lille 2-2 CSKA
Rel Madrid 3-0 Ajax	CSKA 2-3 Inter Milan
Real Madrid 4-0 O. Lyonnais	CSKA 3-0 Trabzonspor
O. Lyonnais 0-2 Real Madrid	Trabzonspor 0-0 CSKA
Real Madrid 6-2 D. Zagreb	CSKA 0-2 Lille
Ajax 0-3 Real Madrid	Inter Milan 1-2 CSKA

Real Madrid earned three victories, scored six goals and kept a clean sheet in their away games against Dinamo Zagreb, Olympique Lyonnais and Ajax Amsterdam.

Jose Mourinho has included 21 men on his squad list for the match; only the injured Altintop, Lass and Di Maria stayed in Madrid. Assistant coach Aitor Karanka, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo have previously played at Luzhniki Stadium. Mourinho, Pepe and Carvalho have faced CSKA in the past.

The manager coached Inter Milan through to the 2009/10 semis against the Russian side, while Cristiano Ronaldo won the Champions League with Manchester United at the stadium and scored one goal. Karanka and Casillas (then a substitute player) faced Lokomotiv there on 7 November 2000, losing 1-0.

Tickets have sold out for the match, with fans anxious to see their team play their first official game since 7 December 2011 against Real Madrid. CSKA Moscow signed midfielders Wernbloom and Kim In-sung, as well as striker Musa, in the winter transfer window. Following the departure of Vagner Love to Flamengo, Doumbia became their main man in attack; he has just returned from playing the African Cup of Nations final with Cote d'Ivoire and has scored five of CSKA's nine strikes in the Champions League this season.

The Russian side has the second best away record in the competition behind Real Madrid. They have taken three points after the 85-minute mark - the last two gave them their ticket to the Last 16 with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. CSKA have scored four of their nine goals (44%) in the final five minutes of either half, which shows Real Madrid will have to 

concentrate hard throughout the encounter to avoid surprises.

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