CSKA Moscow vs Manchester United Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Preview

Joel Amorim Oct 20, 2015 @ 12:21 am

Next Wednesday, 21st of October 2015, Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United will travel to the Russian capital city to measure forces with CSKA Moscow at Arena Khimki for the third match of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage.

CSKA Moscow’s excellent season start cannot go unnoticed. The Moscow team are currently going through a fantastic moment since they’ve managed to win ten of the 12 league matches they’ve taken part in so far and are yet to be defeated. Last weekend, Leonid Slutsky’s men experienced, nevertheless, some problems in overcoming the surprising FC Ural at Arena Khimki in Moscow. CSKA won the clash by 3-2 but the visitors had several chances to snatch the equalizer after Spartak Gogniev’s goal on minute 60’.

The Armeitsy have won their last UEFA Champions League fixture against PSV Eindhoven in a thrilling match with five goals. A superb first-half performance allowed the Moscow team to win the match by 3-2 with two goals from the usual suspect Seydou Doumbia and another from Zoran Tosic. Next Wednesday’s clash will be a special one for the Serbian winger, who was part of Manchester United’s squad back in 2009 and nurtured a friendly relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson even after his departure.

The versatile Israeli midfielder Bibras Natkho remains sidelined due to injury and he is in doubt for the upcoming match against Manchester United. Alan Dzagoev, on the other hand, who missed last weekend’s clash with FC Ural because of suspension, is back on the team and will certainly take Natkho place as a deep-lying playmaker together with Pontus Wernbloom, who will assume the defensive midfielder’s role.

As for Manchester United, the sour defeat at the Emirates Stadium earlier this month forced the team to pull rank after the international break and they managed to clinch an excellent win during their always complicated travel to Goodison Park last weekend.

The Red Devils didn’t have the best of starts in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season after being defeated in Holland by a mighty PSV Eindhoven. Despite such upset, Louis Van Gaal’s men bounced back and grabbed a very important win over VfL Wolfsburg at Old Trafford later last month.

CSKA Moscow

Stats: W-3 L-1 D-1

Recent Form - WLWWD

Manchester United

Stats: W-4 L-1 D-0

Recent Form - WLWWW

Possible Line-ups

CSKA Moscow (4-2-3-1) - Akinfeev - Mário Fernandes - Ignashevich - Berezutski - Schennikov - Wernbloom - Dzagoev - Eremenko - Tosic - Musa - Doumbia

Manchester United (4-2-3-1) – de Gea - Darmian - Smalling - Jones - Rojo - Schneiderlin - Blind - Mata - Depay - Rooney - Martial

Injury List / Suspended Players

CSKA Moscow - Bibras Natkho (inj)

Manchester United - Schweinsteiger (in doubt) - Shaw (inj) - Young (inj) - McNair (inj)

Head-to-head matches:

League Positions