CSKA hope history repeats itself against Wolfsburg

Bottom of Group D, PFC CSKA Moskva must avoid defeat against third-placed VfL Wolfsburg on matchday five to maintain any hope of UEFA Champions League progress.

• CSKA will be out of contention for a top-two finish if they lose. If Manchester United FC are also beaten, by PSV Eindhoven, CSKA will be confirmed in fourth place.

• Two points adrift at the foot of the section, CSKA will leapfrog Wolfsburg with a victory six years to the day since they overcame the Bundesliga outfit 2-1 in Moscow.

Previous meetings
• Wolfsburg beat CSKA in their first UEFA Champions League fixture on 15 September 2009. Grafite hit a hat-trick for Armin Veh's hosts, Alan Dzagoev scoring for a CSKA team coached by Juande Ramos.

• CSKA ended up second in the group, with Wolfsburg third, having turned the tables with a 2-1 victory on 25 November. Tomáš Necid and Miloš Krasić struck second-half goals to overturn Edin Džeko's opener for the German side.

• The lineups for the clubs' encounter in the Russian capital were:
CSKA: Akinfeev, A Berezutski, V Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov, Rahimić, Aldonin, Krasić, Mamaev, Dzagoev, Necid.
Wolfsburg: Benaglio, Riether, Ricardo Costa, Madlung, Schäfer, Josué, Hasebe, Gentner, Misimović, Džeko, Martins (Ziani 68).

Match background

CSKA Moskva
• CSKA are hoping to avoid a hat-trick of early exits from Europe, having finished bottom of their UEFA Champions League group in each of the past two seasons.

• Last term they had their elimination confirmed with defeat by another German side – FC Bayern München, 3-0, on matchday six. Bayern had won the reverse fixture 1-0 at the Arena Khimki.

• Leonid Slutski's men are four games unbeaten (W2 D2) at home in the 2015/16 competition.

• Igor Akinfeev, Sergei Ignashevich and Aleksei and Vasili Berezutski are survivors of CSKA's first meeting with Bundesliga opposition – a 1-0 home win against Hamburger SV in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage.

Wolfsburg
• Wolfsburg slipped to third place in Group B after their 2-0 defeat at PSV last time out, yet remain just a point off top spot.

• Winners at home against CSKA on matchday one (1-0), Dieter Hecking's team are still without a point on their travels after losses to Manchester United and PSV.

• En route to the quarter-finals of the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League, Wolfsburg put nine goals past Russia's FC Krasnodar in the group stage, winning 4-2 away and 5-1 at home.

• Wolfsburg's overall record against Russian sides is W5 D1 L1.

Coach and player links
• As FC Moskva coach, Slutski lost to Hertha BSC Berlin in the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup (0-0 a, 0-2 h).

• Dante faced CSKA in four matches with Bayern, winning every one.

• André Schürrle scored a hat-trick for Germany in a 5-3 FIFA World Cup qualifying triumph over Pontus Wernbloom's Sweden in October 2013. Max Kruse and Julian Draxler also appeared.

• Vierinha was on the winning side against Akinfeev, Ignashevich and Vasili Berezutski in Portugal's 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Russia in June 2013.

• Nicklas Bendtner scored in Denmark's 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Georgi Milanov's Bulgaria in the same campaign.

• Players who have played together:
Luiz Gustavo & Mário Fernandes (Brazil)

Match facts

CSKA
• Georgi Schennikov will incur a suspension with his next booking.

• CSKA's club record 21-match undefeated Russian Premier-Liga run came to an end when they lost 2-1 at FC Krasnodar on 8 November.

• They were beaten again on Saturday, 2-0 at home by PFC Krylya Sovetov Samara – Slutski's side's third successive reverse in all competitions.

• The Army Men have failed to score from six penalties this season.

• Akinfeev has conceded a goal in each of his last 35 UEFA Champions League appearances, qualifying included. His last clean sheet in the competition came when CSKA drew 0-0 at Arsenal FC on 1 November 2006.

• Vasili Berezutski has not played since sustaining a muscle injury on matchday three.

Wolfsburg
• Naldo and Daniel Caligiuri are a booking away from a ban.

• Kruse scored twice in a 6-0 home win against SV Werder Bremen on Saturday. 

• Draxler was sent off 13 minutes into Wolfsburg's 2-0 loss at 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 7 November.

• Bas Dost scored his first international goal in the Netherlands' 3-2 friendly victory against Wales on 13 November.

• Robin Knoche, who has yet to play this season, has been sidelined since 18 September because of an ankle injury.