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CSKA: ONE STEP FROM THE UEFA CUP FINAL

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MOSCOW, May 4. (RIA Novosti)-CSKA Moscow will take on Parma in the second leg of their UEFA Cup semifinal tomorrow night in the Russian capital.

After a 0:0 draw in Italy, only a win will guarantee the Muscovites a place in the final of Europe's second most prestigious tournament, whereas a score draw will be enough for the Italians, which will obviously affect the way they play. If Parma does score, then CSKA will have to put two into the opposition's net.

The Moscow-based side will find this match harder than the previous encounter as they will face a different side. If Parma coach Pietro Carmignani preferred to rest his best players last time around to keep them fresh for a relegation battle in Italy, then he has brought them all to Moscow.

However, this may work in CSKA's favor. The team's European history tends to suggest that it is often underestimated by more illustrious sides and can drawn on hidden resources when need be. One reason is that the Russian team prefers to hit sides on the counter-attack, which is how the Muscovites dispensed with Portugal's Benefica, Partisan Belgrade and France's Auxerre in the last stages.

Another important factor for the home side will be their attack, which is led by Brazilian Vagner Love. Although he spent less than a half on the pitch in Italy thanks to an injury, he will be back to cause the visiting defenders problems tomorrow night. The rest of the CSKA players are also fit and will be ready for one of the most important games in the club's history.

The bookmakers are giving a CSKA win odds of 1:3 and Parma 3:1. However, if we are to believe the bookies, then the UEFA Cup should also ready be in the hands of Portugal's Sporting Lisbon, who travel to the Netherlands with a 2:1 lead to take on AZ Alkmaar.

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