CSKA Moscow vs. Manchester City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and More
Manchester City will be looking to pick up their first victory of the season in the Champions League when they take on CSKA Moscow on Matchday 3.
The match will be played in front of an empty stadium after the Russian club were ordered to play three games behind closed doors following their supporters' racist behaviour during last month’s clash with Roma, per The Guardian. So expect an eerie atmosphere at the Khimki Arena and one that City must overcome if they’re to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
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Manuel Pellegrini’s side will be acutely aware that the Russians are the poorest team in what is a top-class group, so they must capitalise in the first of two back-to-back clashes with CSKA. An intriguing match is guaranteed, and here’s all the information you need on where to catch the match live, plus a look at both teams.
Date: 21 October
Time: 5 p.m. (BST), noon (ET)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Fox Sports Go (US)
TV Info: Sky Sports 5 (UK), Fox Sports 1 (US)
The English champions will be coming into this one on a high after putting in their best performance of the season last time out. Sergio Aguero bagged all four goals in a 4-1 victory over Tottenham, and it was a performance bristling with the precision and clinical edge that made City such a fearsome proposition last season.
Aguero finally looks to be fully fit after a start to the season punctured by injuries, and he's a player that makes City an almost irresistible attacking threat. The Argentine was scintillating in everything he did during the match with Spurs, and on this form, there are few strikers on the planet who are more effective than the former Atletico Madrid man.
OptaJoe provides us with an indication of just how ruthless City’s No. 16 has been in front of goal since his move to the Premier League:
City will be without Frank Lampard for this one after he picked up a knock against Tottenham, but they’ll have Yaya Toure back from the start for this critical clash; the Ivorian started on the bench for the English champions in their last match.
He's looked in fine form while away on international duty with Ivory Coast, as we can see here courtesy of Bleacher Report UK:
The game being played behind closed doors has saved the Manchester City supporters a long trip to Russia, but a select few have decided to make the trip anyway. A group of 16 supporters have splashed the cash to rent a hotel that overlooks the pitch, meaning they’ll be taking in the clash in a somewhat unorthodox fashion, per Simon Mullock of The Mirror.
City played Moscow at this stage of the competition last season and they emerged 2-1 victors thanks to a brace from Aguero, but it was a match in which the hosts caused City plenty of problems, most of which came via the pace and penetration of Ahmed Musa.
The Nigerian winger has been in sensational form as of late, and he’s a player who can have defenders with his blistering speed and direct surge. He had a stunning goal harshly ruled out in this fixture last season, and after netting a brace in his last game—a 6-0 win for CSKA over Krasnodar—he’ll be keen to test himself against City once again.
John Bennett of the BBC is intrigued to see how the 22-year-old gets on against the English champions:
City will have to be wary of Musa and the dynamic Seydou Doumbia, but they should still have more than enough to emerge from this clash victorious. CSKA have a lot of brisk attacking options, but without a home crowd roaring them on or a player who can calm things down for them in the middle of the park, it’s difficult to see them establishing any kind of foothold in the game.
Expect Pellegrini to deploy David Silva in the No. 10 role just off Aguero and for those two to cause major problems amongst the Russians' back line. With Toure likely to be fresh and Fernandinho also reportedly close to a return to fitness, the City midfield will have too much power, energy and quality in the central areas of the pitch.
Ultimately, that’s where City will win this game and in doing so, they'll breathe some life back into their stuttering European campaign.
Prediction: CSKA Moscow 1-2 Manchester City
