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FC Spartak Moskva will be aiming to end a run of eight consecutive UEFA Champions League defeats when they host Sporting Clube de Portugal at the Luzhniki Stadium in the first match in the competition proper to be played on artificial turf.
Crisis over
Spartak started their Group B campaign ignominiously with a 4-0 reverse at FC Bayern München but coach Vladimir Fedotov says he believes the Russian Premier-Liga runners-up have fully recovered. Since that setback they have drawn with FC Lokomotiv Moskva and beaten FC Rubin Kazan 3-0, either side of a Russian Cup win against FC Ural. He said: "Judging by our latest results and the quality of our play, we have put any psychological crisis behind us. I don't think this match is key with regard to the battle for second or third place. At this stage, every game is important and each point can turn golden in the end."
Coach caution
Spartak are likely to be without winger Nikita Bazhenov, who has a lower back injury, but they welcome back influential midfielder Maxym Kalinichenko after suspension. The coach, though, is giving little away in terms of his selection. "We have tried out tactics with two and three forwards in our recent games and both models are good. We switched to a three-striker formation in order to use the pace of our young players on the wings. I already know how we will play against Sporting, but of course I will not tell you," he said.
Poor record
While Spartak have failed to win in their last 18 outings in the competition and have not scored in their last seven, they did record emphatic home and away victories over Sporting in their last successful UEFA Champions League campaign, 2000/01. But Sporting, themselves seeking to halt a sequence of five straight away defeats in the tournament, go into the match on the back of an impressive 1-0 win against FC Internazionale Milano. Coach Paolo Bento said: "The opening win over Inter was important for us and obviously a victory in Moscow will take us closer to qualifying from Group B. But we have a very strong opponent, who after an opening defeat will want to win very badly in front of their home crowd."
Pitch first
The tie is the first in the UEFA Champions League to be played on a synthetic surface and opinion is divided on what impact it will have on the game. Bento, whose men triumphed 2-0 at CD Das Aves in the Portuguese Liga on Saturday, said: "I don't think the surface matters too much when players are fit and working 100 per cent. I had a walk on the pitch before the press conference and it seems of very good quality." Sporting keeper Ricardo added: "For goalkeepers this is especially difficult because of the bounce of the ball, but we have to adapt quickly." The visitors will be missing midfielders Custódio and Pontus Farnerud who are lacking match fitness and the injured Carlos Martins.
Probable teams
Spartak: Wojciech Kowalewski; Martin Jiránek, Geder, Martin Stranzl, Clemente Rodríguez; Vladimir Bystrov, Mozart, Yegor Titov, Denis Boyarintsev; Fernando Cavenaghi, Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Sporting: Ricardo; Abel, Anderson Polga, Tonel, Marco Caneira; Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho, Leandro Romagnoli, Nani; Alecsandro, Liedson.
