Match Preview- CSKA Moscow vs Real Madrid

With Zenit seeing off Benfica 3-2 in the first installment of the Russian adventure in the Champions League last 16, it’s now the turn of PFC CSKA Moscow to show their mettle. But the task lying in wait for the Muscovites, is somewhat more daunting than what faced Zenit. World giants Real Madrid were the club charged with going to the Russian capital, and having cruised through the group stages with 18 points from a possible 18, on paper, looks a pretty simple task for the Galacticos. But CSKA are no mugs themselves, having been in the quarter finals of this competition just 2 years ago, and knocking out a Spanish team in the last 16 along the way.

After spending a year in the controversial Europa League, CSKA were drawn in a tough and close looking Champions League group this time around. Inter were assumed to obligatory take first spot in the group, while the battle for second looked pretty level.  French champions LOSC Lille and Turkish outfit Trabzonspor were drawn to keep CSKA and Inter company, and while the group didn’t appear the hardest in the draw, both Lille and CSKA would harbour serious hopes of qualifying with Inter. It so happened that these two would meet in the first matchday in northern France, in a game that would most likely end up being one of the most important in the group. And after the first half, you could be forgiven for already thinking it would be the French progressing with Inter. CSKA showed little of anything in the game, and Lille were unlucky to only be 1-0 up after the first 45.

However soon after the break that, Lille scored another and a CSKA comeback looked the least likely of happenings. But star striker Seydou Doumbia decided to take matters into his own hands, scoring 2 excellent goals in the last 20 minutes to snatch a vital and unlikely point for the Russians. CSKA hosted Inter next, and once again showed immense character to come from 2 down to get to 2-2. But unlike in France there was a nasty sting in the tail, Inter substitute Mauro Zarate got in behind the Russian defence and snatched a smash and grab 3-2 win for the Italians. Things didn’t look too bad for CSKA though, a double header against group underdogs Trabzonspor awaited. A 3-0 home win with Doumbia once again starring, and a point from Turkey wasn’t considered the worst of results, but the next game against Lille certainly was. 

A crushing 2-0 home defeat with the French side exacting revenge for the draw in France, however, plunged CSKA into an almost terminal situation. Now matters had been taken out of their hands, needing Lille and Trabzonspor to draw against each other, with themselves beating group winners Inter in Italy. And incredibly, it happened. A late Vasily Berezutskiy header securing a famous 2-1 win in Milan, and Lille and Trabzonspor only drawing 0-0 in a result which knocked each other out, and sending CSKA through to the knockout stages for only the second time in their history.

Real Madrid had a somewhat less stressful and trying route to the last 16. Drawn alongside Lyon, Ajax and Croatian unknowns Dinamo Zagreb, Real were fully expected to ease through to the playoffs. Real headed first off to Croatia to face Dinamo. Things actually didn’t work out as easily as many thought they would, with the Croatian champions putting up a stiff defence to deny the Galacticos for 53 minutes before Argentinean Angel Di Maria struck, and before that Dinamo striker Ante Rukavina spurned a great chance when 1 on 1 with Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas, which could have sparked a huge Champions League shock. But nevertheless the Spanish outfit departed home with the full 3 points, and next up was Ajax Amsterdam of the Netherlands, a club which is stooped in tradition. At the Bernabeu, Real swept away the Dutch comfortably 3-0, and with 6 points from 2 games, it was already inevitable who was going to progress in top spot. 

A tricky looking double header against French giants awaited, however, a club which has always caused them a lot of problems, even knocking them out of the tournament in the 2009/2010 season. No such problems this time though, a 4-0 home win a 2-0 away win in France were enough to ease Real into the knockout stages, which was confirmed with another thumping win on matchday 5, with 6-2 victory at home to Dinamo. To round off a scintillating group stage campaign, Real beat Ajax 3-0 in the Amsterdam ArenA, and in turn sending out a huge warning to the rest of Europe. Real Madrid are here to win the Champions League for a record 10^th time.

Along with fellow Spanish club Barcelona, Real Madrid was the team everyone wanted to avoid. CSKA were the club who drew the short straw, but don’t write off the Russians’ chances just yet. Current CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky knows all about his opposite number in charge of Real, Jose Mourinho, having managed with CSKA against Inter in the 2009/2010 quarter finals when Mourinho was in charge of the Italians. That time the ‘Special one’ prevailed against Slutsky with a pair of 1-0 victories, but Slutsky would have learnt a lot about how Mourinho works. The Russian himself has even been dubbed the Russian Mourinho, and while this is a tag he doesn’t like to speak too much of, he will be looking prove his worth in this meeting against one of the world’s most enigmatic and controversial managers.

But it isn’t just the CSKA manager, who is going to prove a danger to Real Madrid. The Russians have managed to keep hold of star striker Doumbia who struck 5 goals in 5 games in the group stages, and the immensely talented Ivorian will be a significant danger to the Spanish defence through both games. CSKA’s attack, though, has been weakened by the loss of Doumbia’s partner in crime Vagner Love, who has finally left Russia for good to return to his native Brazil with Flamengo. Vagner himself only weighed in with only one goal (a strike against Inter on matchday 2), and perhaps more importantly, Russian attacking midfielder starlet Alan Dzagoev is still plying his trade with the Muscovites. The 21 year old has been making headlines around Europe for a few years now, with even Real themselves rumoured to be keen on taking Dzagoev to the Spanish capital.

While the CSKA attack isn’t looking too bad at all, things don’t look quite so great at the back. Having leaked 8 goals in total in the group stages, the central defensive zone which is usually occupied by Sergey Ignashevich and one of the Berezutskiy twins isn’t the most solid, and they’re going to encounter of the toughest tasks they’ve ever had. Real possess maybe the best attacking line in the world, with global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who needs no introduction leading the Real charge, and with players such as Gonzalo Higuain who netted twice in the group stage, and Karim Benzema who has 4 to his name, it certainly isn’t going to be easy for the Russians. 

Real bagged themselves 19 goals in the group stages, ten more than the 9 which CSKA got for themselves. This proves even further, that if CSKA are somehow going to force their way into the quarter finals for the second time in their history, it is going to take a titanic effort from every player who is on the pitch in Moscow, and in Madrid.

The first match will take place in Moscow, on the artificial turf of the Luzhniki stadium, and while temperatures are expected to be around -7 on game day, the hosts will look to make light of the cold just as Zenit did last Wednesday. The main thing though for CSKA will be for them to keep the tie still alive before the return in Madrid, but that’s easier said than done when facing a team with Ronaldo in.

Anything is possible, and stranger things have happened of course, but it will be something to remember for many years to come if CSKA manage to pull this off.

Written by Shaun Nicolaides

Follow him on Twitter @zenitfan93

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