UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

CSKA MOSCOW VS BENFICA

TIME:22:00

MATCH STATS AND PREVIEW

•  CSKA Moscow currently, sit 3rd in the group, but they’re level on points with 2nd placed Basel and know that their Basel are facing off with Manchester United on Wednesday.
• Benfica have been so disappointing in Europe this season,  having lost all four of their group matches and have certainly left themselves too much to do in order to prolong their European campaign.They have only managed one goal in this period and have shipped ten at the other end.
• CSKA Moscow have only managed five goals in their four group games so far and Benfica haven’t scored since round one.
• CSKA Moscow have averaged just 1.25 goals per game in the group stages so far, whilst Benfica have managed a just 0.25 goals per game on average.

HEAD TO HEAD

• CSKA Moscow have won two and drawn one of their three previous meetings with Benfica, with the most recent being a 2-1 win in Portugal earlier in this campaign.

TEAM NEWS

CSKA Moscow

• Pontus Wernbloom, Bibras Natkho and Aleksandr Golovin are all one booking away from a one-match ban.
• CSKA Moscow have failed to identify a partner for Vitinho in attack and may reward Pontus Wernbloom, who usually marshalls the back four, with another start up front after he scored twice at the weekend.
• Aleksei Berezutski is unlikely to feature after picking up an injury in the first half of their 4-2 win away to SKA-Khabarovsk on Saturday morning.
• Mario Fernandes failed to recover from his own injury concerns to feature at the weekend and CSKA will hope he is available here.

Benfica

• Luisão returns after suspension in their last Champions League outing and he will go back in at centre-back here. Eduardo Salvio is one booking away from a one-match ban.
• Benfica have played a different formation in all four of their group matches, so it remains to be seen how they will line up on Wednesday.

PREDICTION

CSKA Moscow win at 2.15 Odds