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Lille's unbeaten home record put to the test by CSKA

LOSC Lille Métropole and PFC CSKA Moskva, who between them have only eight previous participations in the UEFA Champions League, meet for the first time as Group B kicks off.

Lille are unbeaten in nine home UEFA Champions League games
Lille are unbeaten in nine home UEFA Champions League games ©Getty Images

The matchday one Group B meeting between LOSC Lille Métropole and PFC CSKA Moskva is the first between the sides and only the second time the French champions have tackled Russian opponents.

Previous meetings
• Lille's only previous fixture against a Russian team came in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup group stage when they beat FC Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 in France.

• CSKA were triumphant on their last visit to France, winning 4-3 at AS Nancy-Lorraine in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage. They were also winners on their last trip there for a UEFA Champions League game, beating Paris Saint-Germain FC 3-1 in the 2004/05 group stage.

• They lost their other two games in France, going down 2-0 at AJ Auxerre in a 2004/05 UEFA Cup quarter-final second leg – although they had won 4-0 at home. The second occasion was in the 1992/93 UEFA Champions League group stage when they suffered a 6-0 reverse at the hands of an Olympique de Marseille team who went on to win the tournament that season.

Match background
• Lille's fourth participation in Europe's elite club competition is a result of last season's league and cup double in France. They last took part in 2006/07 when they reached the round of 16, losing both legs to Manchester United FC 1-0. At home in the group stage they drew with AC Milan (0-0) and RSC Anderlecht (2-2) and beat AEK Athens FC 3-1 – the same home record produced from their participations in 2005/06 and 2001/02. In nine home group games therefore Lille have still to taste defeat, winning three and drawing six.

• CSKA, the 2004/05 UEFA Cup winners, reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League on their last participation in 2009/10, their best achievement. There they faced FC Internazionale Milano, the eventual winners, losing both legs 1-0. In the round of 16 they saw off the challenge of Sevilla FC thanks to a 2-1 win in Spain after the home leg ended 1-1.

• In that season's group stage the Russian club won their last away game 2-1 at Beşiktaş JK – only the second time they had celebrated victory in a total of 12 UEFA Champions League away games. In the current format they have not won in four matchday one fixtures, all of which have been played away from Russia. The last two ended in defeat while the first two finished scoreless.

Team ties
• Chidi Odiah and Vincent Enyeama are team-mates with Nigeria.

• Tomáš Necid and David Rozehnal have played together for the Czech Republic.

• Necid scored the Czech Republic's first goal in a 2-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win against Poland on 10 October 2009 in Prague five minutes after coming on at half-time. Ludovic Obraniak was on the opposing side.

• Marko Baša was at FC Lokomotiv Moskva between 2008 and 2011, recording a win, a draw and two losses in four matches against CSKA.

• Joe Cole came on as a second-half substitute in Chelsea FC's 2-0 home defeat of CSKA on 20 October 2004.

• Ireneusz Jeleń scored the decisive goal as AJ Auxerre beat FC Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 on aggregate in last season's UEFA Champions League play-offs.

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