Real Madrid will round off their Champions League Group G campaign with a home match against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night.
The European champions have already secured first position in the section, having won four of their five group matches to date. Roma have also booked their spot in the next round as runners-up, leaving CSKA to battle Viktoria Plzen for the Europa League position.
Real Madrid
© Reuters
Madrid have had their problems in La Liga this season, but they have once again been impressive in the Champions League - winning four of their five group matches to collect 12 points. Their 2-0 win over Roma last time out secured first spot in the section, and they will be hoping to end on a high against CSKA.
Real's only defeat in Group G came away at CSKA at the start of October, and the European Cup holders might well have revenge on their minds ahead of Wednesday's clash at the Bernabeu.
The defeat to CSKA in Russia was just Madrid's fifth loss in their last 38 European matches home and away, and they are, of course, chasing a fourth straight Champions League crown. It is very difficult to imagine that occurring, but Los Blancos simply cannot be written off due to their history in this competition.
The Spanish giants have actually won 36 of their last 44 home Champions League matches, suffering just two defeats. Meanwhile, they have not lost at home to Russian visitors since March 1991, when Spartak Moscow recorded a 3-1 win in the European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final.
Santiago Solari has now won eight of his nine matches in charge, with the only blemish on his record a 3-0 defeat at Eibar on November 24. Since then, the capital outfit have overcome Roma, Valencia, Melilla and Huesca across three separate competitions.
Sunday's 1-0 win over Huesca moved Madrid to within five points of La Liga leaders Barcelona, but it was far from a convincing performance from Los Blancos, who only just squeezed past the league's basement side.
Solari's team will host CSKA and Rayo Vallecano in their next two matches before heading off to the United Arab Emirates for the Club World Cup, and they will be looking for success in that competition once again.
Recent form: WWLWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WLWWWW
CSKA Moscow
© Reuters
CSKA have picked up four points from their five group matches to sit bottom of the section. The Russian giants are level with third-placed Viktoria Plzen, however, meaning that the Europa League spot in the section is very much open ahead of Wednesday's final two group matches.
Viktoria Plzen have the superior head-to-head record over CSKA, meaning that the Russian side must pick up more points than the Czech champions in order to finish second.
Madrid are the strong favourites to emerge victorious on Wednesday night, but CSKA have actually triumphed on two of their last three trips to Spain, which includes victories over Sevilla and Barcelona.
CSKA finished third behind Manchester United and Basel in the group stages of last season's competition and went on to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League before losing to Arsenal.
In terms of recent form, the Russian giants will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 victory over Yenisey in the league at the weekend, which left them third in the table. There is a four-point gap to leaders Zenit St Petersburg, while Krasnodar currently occupy second position in the top flight.
CSKA's 2-1 defeat to Viktoria Plzen in their last group match is their only loss in their last five matches in all competitions, and having already overcome Madrid in this season's competition, there is no question that Viktor Goncharenko's side have the credentials to triumph at the Bernabeu.
Even a point might be enough to secure third position in the group, although that scenario would rely on Roma overcoming Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic.
Recent form: LDWLLL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWLDW
Team News
© Reuters
Solari will make changes from the 1-0 win over Huesca in La Liga on Sunday afternoon. That said, the head coach will be mindful that third position is still alive in the group and will want to be respectful to Viktoria Plzen.
Keylor Navas is expected to replace Thibaut Courtois between the sticks, while Isco, Federico Valverde and Marco Asensio are all expected to come into the XI.
There could also be a spot in the final third for exciting youngster Vinicius Junior, although Karim Benzema is expected to keep his spot at the tip of the attack.
Nacho, Casemiro and Toni Kroos are all still on the sidelines for Madrid.
CSKA will again be without the services of Ilzat Akhmetov, Alan Dzagoev, Viktor Vasin and Aleksandr Makarov.
However, Abel Hernandez made his return from injury as a second-half substitute at the weekend, and the centre-forward could play a part at the Bernabeu.
Fedor Chalov is the team's leading scorer with 10 goals this season, and the 20-year-old will be joined in the final third by on-loan Everton attacker Nikola Vlasic.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Odriozola, Ramos, Varane, Carvajal; Valverde, Isco, Llorente; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius
CSKA Moscow possible starting lineup:
Akinfeev; Chernov, Rodrigo, Nababkin; Shchennikov, Bistrovic, Oblyakov, Figueira; Vlasic, Chalov, Sigurdsson
Head To Head
Wednesday will be just the fourth ever meeting between the two teams.
The pair also locked horns during the last-16 stage of the 2011-12 Champions League, and Real ran out 5-2 winners, which included a 4-1 success at the Bernabeu.
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 CSKA Moscow
There is every chance that CSKA could win the point that might secure third position in the group, but home advantage will be key in this tie. We fancy Real to record a 2-1 win in the Spanish capital.
Matt Law
