United set sights on CSKA

Group B leaders Manchester United FC will look to improve on their poor record against Russian clubs when they visit a PFC CSKA Moskva side buoyed by their Matchday 2 victory against Beşiktaş JK.

• Wins against Beşiktaş (1-0) and VfL Wolfsburg (2-1) mean United lead the section with six points but they may face a challenging evening against CSKA, who have won their last six European home matches and bounced back from a 3-1 reverse at Wolfsburg on Matchday 1 by defeating Beşiktaş 2-1 last time out.

Match background
• This is the clubs' first meeting but CSKA have a record of two wins and one defeat at home to Premier League visitors.

• The Moscow club were successful in their most recent meeting with English opposition, eliminating Aston Villa FC in the Round of 32 of last season's UEFA Cup courtesy of a 1-1 draw in Birmingham and a 2-0 home triumph. Yuri Zhirkov, scorer of their first goal in that second leg, is now at Chelsea FC.

• The 2004/05 UEFA Cup winners lost 3-1 to United's great rivals Liverpool FC in the 2005 UEFA Super Cup.

• United are unbeaten in 13 away games in the UEFA Champions League but they have suffered against Russian clubs in the past.

• Sir Alex Ferguson's men exited the UEFA Cup after a first-round defeat by FC Torpedo Moskva on penalties in 1992/93, losing the shoot-out in the Russian capital following two goalless draws.

• Their second trip to Russia also produced a goalless draw, with SC Rotor Volgograd in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup first round. A 2-2 draw at Old Trafford then sent the Russian club through on away goals.

• United's only other encounter with a Russian team came with their 2-1 loss to FC Zenit St. Petersburg in last season's UEFA Super Cup in Monaco.

• That match came after winning the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League final in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium, beating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

• The United team on 21 May 2008 was:
Van der Sar, Brown (Anderson 120), Ferdinand, Vidić, Evra, Hargreaves, Scholes (Giggs 87), Carrick, Ronaldo, Tévez, Rooney (Nani 101).

Team ties
• CSKA coach Juande Ramos faced United twice during his 12-month stint as manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC from October 2007 to October 2008, the first a 3-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat at Old Trafford in January 2008.

• The following month current United forward Dimitar Berbatov scored for Ramos's side in a 1-1 home draw with United, a last-minute Carlos Tévez goal denying Spurs victory.

• Ramos fared well against English clubs while at Sevilla FC, defeating Middlesbrough FC 4-0 in the 2006 UEFA Cup final and advancing past a Spurs side that included Berbatov in the last eight in 2006/07.

• Ramos was less successful with Real Madrid CF last season, suffering a 5-0 aggregate defeat by Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

• United trio Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney were on the losing side at the Luzhniki Stadium with England in a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Russia on 17 October 2007. CSKA's Aleksei Berezutski, Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich were in the Russia team that earned a 2-1 victory, despite Rooney hitting the opening goal.

• Owen (2) and Ferdinand were on target when England earned a 3-0 Wembley victory over a Russia side featuring the three aforementioned CSKA players the preceding month.

• CSKA winger Mark González spent 2006/07 in England with Liverpool, scoring twice in 25 league appearances.

• The Chilean played in Liverpool's 2-0 league defeat at Old Trafford on 22 October 2006 and also started the 1-0 home loss to United the following March.

• United defender Nemanja Vidić spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with CSKA's arch-rivals FC Spartak Moskva. He made 39 league appearances and scored four goals, including one at CSKA in September 2004 though it did not stop his side going down to a 2-1 league defeat.

• United midfielder Anderson made his UEFA Champions League debut against CSKA for FC Porto in a goalless draw in Portugal in September 2006.

• United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is hoping for a change of luck against Russian opponents – he was in the AFC Ajax side defeated by Spartak in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup quarter-finals and last year was in the Netherlands team beaten by Russia in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals. CSKA's Igor Akinfeev and Ignashevich played for the opposition in Basel.

• Ignashevich was also in the Russia team that denied Ryan Giggs's Wales in the qualifying play-offs for UEFA EURO 2004™.