CSKA Moscow look to take a confident stride towards the Champions League knockout stages with a victory against French side Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Russians will have to cope without top striker Seydou Doumbia, who is suspended after a red card during last month’s 0-0 draw against Turkish side Trabzonspor.
But Lille will be on the back foot right away, having missed their flight to Moscow on Monday.
The French side lost valuable training time on Luzhniki Stadium’s artificial turf, and will have less opportunity to acclimatize as match-time temperatures are expected to hover around minus 5 degrees Celcius.
In Group B, CSKA are joint second with Trabzonspor on five points from four games. Both trail leaders Inter Milan by four points, with two matches left.
Lille, bottom of the group with just two points, are playing for their lives in the Champions League and will look to exploit the absence of Doumbia, who has scored four of CSKA’s seven goals this campaign. A late brace from the Ivorian rescued a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in September.
CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky may deploy Doumbia’s partner, Brazilian striker Vagner Love, as a lone striker with Alan Dzagoev in the playmaker role just behind.
Slutsky has Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda back from long-term injury.
Slutsky will want his side to bounce back quickly from a surprise 2-1 weekend home defeat to Rubin Kazan in the league.
Lille may have to do without defensive midfielder Benoit Pedretti, who missed Friday’s 0-0 draw at sixth-placed Toulouse.
Center back Marko Basa, who spent three years at CSKA’s rivals Lokomotiv, may miss out with a shoulder problem.
