Fenerbahce Face Hungry CSKA Moscow Team

Fenerbahce Face Hungry CSKA Moscow Team
By Nathan L. Redd

Fenerbahce face the second test of their UEFA Champions League group stage on Tuesday. Zico's men are in Moscow to face Russian power CSKA Moscow. Fenerbahce have great confidence after their 1-0 win over Inter Milan to open their campaign, but they'll face a hungry Russian team that is especially tough at home.

As Fenerbahce has struggled to open their season, CSKA Moscow is winding down their year, and things haven't gone as planned. With only a handful of games left, CSKA is practically out of the Russian title race after a tough loss to Zenit St. Petersburg over the weekend. The loss finds CSKA eleven points back sitting in fourth place. With the loss, CSKA knows that their UEFA Champions League run may be their best hope for European success in the near future. CSKA Coach Valery Gazzaev told Russia Today after their loss “I thought we played well against Zenit, but we weren't able to take our chances. It was exactly the same situation when we lost in Eindhoven. But we still managing to create good opportunities - it's just a question of being able to finish them off."

Gazzaev talked to the press about their next opponent, Fenerbahce. He told Russia Today "Fenerbahce are a team that plays good football and are very experienced. It's no coincidence that they're the top of the group and managed to beat Inter Milan at home, which they fully deserved to do. On Tuesday, I think we're going to face a very tough opponent.”

CSKA Moscow fell 2-1 to PSV Eindhoven to open their UEFA Champions League run, so they know that a win over Fenerbahce is vital to their hopes. They'll be led by Brasilian star Jo at the striker position. He has scored nine goals this season so far in the Russian Premier League, but he knows that a goal over Fenerbahce would go a long way toward his European profile. He knows Fenerbahce well because of their Brasilian pedigree on the pitch. CSKA Coach Gazzaev also knows that Zico brings a fluid, Brasilian style of play to their game. "Fenerbahce have a lot of South American players and even a Brazilian coach. Their outlook on football defines the team's play, and Fenerbahce prefer to play a combination style" he told Sporting Life.

Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow kick off at 21:30 (1:30 PM EST in the U.S.) from Moscow, Russia on Tuesday.