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CSKA need to make home comforts count against Monaco

CSKA Moskva's home form is a concern and after losing there on matchday two they will be looking to make amends against Monaco in the sides' first competitive meeting.

CSKA have struggled at home recently
CSKA have struggled at home recently ©AFP/Getty Images

A home defeat on matchday two was a disappointing way for PFC CSKA Moskva to follow their promising start to UEFA Champions League Group E, and they will be looking for a positive outcome when they host AS Monaco FC on matchday three.

• It is the first competitive meeting between the sides.

Match background

CSKA
• The Russians recovered a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the start of their tenth group stage campaign. They were unable to build on that, however, losing 1-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur FC in their second fixture.

• CSKA have lost their last two home games in the UEFA Champions League and have won only one of the last nine at home in the competition proper.

• They have also lost their last two home games against French visitors, going down 2-0 against LOSC Lille in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League group stage and 2-1 against Olympique de Marseille in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

• The previous season they beat AJ Auxerre 4-0 at home in the quarter-final of the same competition to set up a 4-2 aggregate success en route to lifting the trophy.

• Last season Leonid Slutski's side finished bottom of Group B with four points.

Monaco
• Third in Ligue 1 last season, Monaco have made four previous trips to Russia in European competition, losing on two occasions and drawing two. In the group stage two years ago they held FC Zenit 0-0.

• This season, the French side got their seventh group stage campaign off to a great start with a 2-1 win at Tottenham, and then snatched an added-time equaliser to draw 1-1 at home to Leverkusen.

• Monaco, returning to the UEFA Champions League after a season's absence, came through two qualifying rounds to reach the group stage, beating Fenerbahçe SK (4-3 on aggregate) and Villarreal CF (3-1 agg).

• On their last participation, in 2014/15, they reached the quarter-finals, going out to eventual runners-up Juventus 1-0 on aggregate. They won away games at Leverkusen and Arsenal FC, losing at SL Benfica and Juventus in addition to the Zenit draw.

Coach and player links
• Lacina Traoré joined CSKA on loan from Monaco in the summer. The French club had signed him from another Russian side, FC Anji, in 2014.

• João Moutinho played for Sporting Clube de Portugal when they were beaten by CSKA in the 2005 UEFA Cup final. Igor Akinfeev, Vasili Berezutski, Aleksei Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich helped the Russian side to their 3-1 victory.

Match facts

CSKA
• Roman Eremenko is starting a two-match ban.

• CSKA ended a run of four games without a win, including three defeats, by beating Ufa 1-0 on Friday.

• Akinfeev has not kept a clean sheet in 39 UEFA Champions League games, a run dating back to 1 November 2006 and a goalless draw at Arsenal FC. CSKA have not kept a clean sheet in 22 matches in the competition, dating back to 2 November 2011.

• Slutski's team's 16-game unbeaten run in the Premier-Liga ended with a 2-0 defeat at fellow UEFA Champions league hopefuls FC Rostov on 2 October.

• Aleksandrs Cauņa is still recovering from the ankle operation he had in July.

• Vasili Berezutski scored an own goal and conceded the decisive penalty in Russia's 4-3 friendly home defeat by Costa Rica on 9 October.

Monaco 
• Monaco have lost just two of their last 13 games – 4-0 at OGC Nice in the Côte d'Azur derby on 21 September, Mario Balotelli scoring twice, and 3-1 at Toulouse FC on Friday.

• Monaco began October with their biggest ever away league win, thumping FC Metz 7-0. Guido Carrillo struck twice to end a sequence of 16 games without a goal.

• Radamel Falcao has missed the last four matches with concussion.

• Nabil Dirar (left calf) has not featured since being substituted early on against Tottenham.

• Five of Fabinho's six goals this term have been penalties – all eight of his goals in 2015/16 were spot kicks.

• Moutinho was on target as Portugal beat the Faroe Islands 6-0 in FIFA World Cup qualifying on 10 October, only his fifth goal in 94 international outings.

• Full-back Djibril Sidibé has played four successive games for France since making his debut last month, most recently featuring against Bulgaria (4-1) and the Netherlands (1-0).

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