FC Internazionale Milano - PFC CSKA Moskva MATCH PRESS KIT Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan Wednesday 7 November 2007 - 20.45 CET Group G - Matchday 4
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FC Internazionale Milano - PFC CSKA Moskva MATCH PRESS KIT Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan Wednesday 7 November 2007 - 20.45 CET Group G - Matchday 4 Contents 1 - Match background 7 - UEFA information 2 - Match facts 8 - Match-by-match lineups 3 - Squad list 9 - Competition facts 4 - Head coach 10 - Team facts 5 - Match officials 11 - Competition information 6 - Domestic information 12 - Legend Match background A second successive victory for FC Internazionale Milano has enabled Roberto Mancini's side to recover from their surprise Matchday 1 defeat against Fenerbahçe SK and take control of Group G, though only two points separates the top three teams. With just one point gained so far, PFC CSKA Moskva must show their qualities in this return against the Italian champions. • Inter had gone behind in the first game between the sides two weeks ago as Jô fired in astutely. But the visitors rallied in the second half, equalising through Hernán Crespo before Walter Samuel's first UEFA Champions League goal gave them a valuable victory. • It enabled Mancini's team to take the leader's baton in Group G with a one-point advantage over Fenerbahçe and increased their prospects of claiming a place in the knockout stages for the fifth time in six seasons. • After their 1-0 loss at Fenerbahçe, the Nerazzurri got their seventh UEFA Champions League campaign on track as Zlatan Ibrahimović struck two goals to condemn PSV Eindhoven to defeat at San Siro. • The victory in Moscow then continued Inter's domination of Russian opponents. In eleven games they have won seven and drawn three and are currently on a run of three back-to-back victories. Their only defeat came when FC Lokomotiv Moskva got the better of them in Russia in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage. The 23 October encounter was their first against CSKA. • At home, Inter have a near-spotless record against Russian visitors, winning four (all by a single goal) and drawing the other. That was the return game against Lokomotiv after the 3-0 away defeat, and it proved crucial with the teams tied on eight points at the end of the campaign. The Russian team went through on head-to-head results. • CSKA, the back-markers in Group G with just a single point, will be looking for their first win in this year's edition at the fourth attempt. Fenerbahçe's equaliser five minutes from time in the Lokomotiv Stadium was a blow on Matchday 2 after Valeri Gazzaev's side had recovered from an early deficit to pull ahead through Miloš Krasić and Vágner Love's penalty. With a 2-1 defeat by PSV in the Netherlands two weeks previously, CSKA knew at that stage they had a tough task to improve on two successive third-place finishes in the group stage. Last updated 05.11.2007 18:33:43CET Match background 1 FC Internazionale Milano - PFC CSKA Wednesday 7 November 2007 - 20.45 CET Moskva MATCH PRESS KIT Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan • They have previously met only two Italian sides in European competition and in three home-and-away meetings their away performances have held up well. In a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round tie in 1991/92 they won 1-0 in the Stadio Olimpico against AS Roma but bowed out of the competition after losing 2-1 at home. • In the 2004/05 UEFA Cup semi-final first leg CSKA drew 0-0 away to Parma FC, a result which paved the way for them to reach the final thanks to a 3-0 win in the home leg, and what would prove Russia's first UEFA club competition trophy. Their only defeat in Italy also came with Parma in opposition, a 3-2 defeat in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round. • The other Group G encounter features the return between Fenerbahçe and PSV. Match facts Inter • Luís Figo made his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League in Moscow. Only his former Real Madrid CF team-mates Raúl González (111 appearances), Roberto Carlos (110) and David Beckham (103), plus Paolo Maldini (105) and Oliver Kahn (103) have also reached that landmark. • Iván Córdoba's next appearance in UEFA club competition will be his 50th. • Zlatan Ibrahimović has committed 14 fouls to date, the most in the competition. • Cristian Chivu and David Suazo are available again after serving one-match bans following their red cards on Matchday 2 against PSV. Walter Samuel and Ibrahimović are within one booking of a suspension. Nicolás Burdisso serves the fourth of a six-match ban. • Figo celebrated his 35th birthday on 4 November, the day before Suazo turned 28. • Samuel scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in his 43rd appearance against CSKA, adding to his two UEFA Cup goals for AS Roma in 2000/01. The defender said: "I was so happy that I did not even manage to celebrate properly." • Inter maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw at Juventus on Sunday although their advantage at the top of the Serie A table was cut to two points by ACF Fiorentina. Inter took the lead four minutes before half-time when Julio Cruz kept his cool to slot past Gianluigi Buffon after being sent clear by Júlio César. Ibrahimović and second-half substitute Suazo could have made it 2-0 but squandered chances and Juve secured a point 13 minutes from time when Mauro Camoranesi's deflected effort beat Júlio César. • Júlio César was in the side after recovering from a back injury, though Dejan Stanković (ankle), Patrick Vieira (calf), Francesco Toldo (foot) and Marco Materazzi (thigh) were all ruled out, and only the latter is close to a return. Córdoba played in central defence, with Chivu preferred to Maxwell as left-back. Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso were partnered at the heart of the midfield with Figo and César Aparecido on the flanks, while Cruz and Ibrahimović led the attack. • Roberto Mancini said: "It's a pity because we wasted a lot of opportunities to score the second goal. It is the law of football: If you don't kill a game off you will be punished. We should have been more clinical, especially as we were facing a team like Juventus who never give up. The result was not fair, though. We clearly deserved victory as we played very well." • Figo lasted just past the hour before limping off with a calf knock and Mancini's injury worries grew four minutes from time when Maicon suffered a hip injury. Last updated 05.11.2007 18:33:43CET Match facts 2 FC Internazionale Milano - PFC CSKA Wednesday 7 November 2007 - 20.45 CET Moskva MATCH PRESS KIT Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan • A scan on Monday revealed Figo fractured his right fibula in a tackle with Juve's Pavel Nedvěd. The Inter winger will miss the rest of the group stage and underwent surgery on 6 November, although he is not expected to return to action until early 2008. • Alongside Fiorentina, Inter have the best defensive record in Serie having conceded seven goals. • Vieira tore his right calf muscle early on in Moscow on Matchday 3 and scans ruled him out for two months, though Mancini said: "I hope he will be back in 30-40 days." • Four days after the CSKA game Serie A leaders Inter were held to a 0-0 draw at US Città di Palermo. Both sides created a good number of opportunities, with Inter going closest when Chivu hit the bar with a long-range free-kick. Former Inter goalkeeper Alberto Fontana also made a series of good saves for the home side. • Mancini fielded Samuel and Córdoba in the centre of defence, with Maicon at right-back and Chivu preferred to Maxwell on the left. • "It has been a positive week for us," Mancini said. "We had three away games and we had to do a lot of travelling. We controlled the game today and had lots of chances but unfortunately the ball wouldn't go in. And we also had a few problems during the match with the injuries to Stanković and Júlio César." • Júlio César had to be substituted at half-time after succumbing to a back injury, making way for Paolo Orlandoni. The goalkeeper's regular understudy, Toldo, was unavailable for the game in Palermo having fractured the second metatarsal in his right foot during his third league appearance of the season at Reggina Calcio on 20 October and ruled out for seven weeks. • Stanković will be out of action for another week after twisting his ankle. The Serbian international was carried off the field on a stretcher amid concerns that, in addition to ankle damage, he might have broken his leg. However, after returning to Milan for a scan, the 29-year-old was informed that his fibula was not fractured. • The goalless draw at Palermo was the first Serie A game this season in which Inter had failed to score. • Three days after the draw in Palermo, Inter continued their unbeaten start to the league with a 4-1 home win against Genoa CFC. Córdoba opened the scoring after eight minutes from close range after a Hernán Crespo header had hit the bar. Cambiasso opened his account for the season early in the second half from another rebound after Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho had only parried a free-kick by Chivu. Konko pulled one back in the 73rd minute but within seconds Suazo was on target for his first Inter goal.