TV: Fox Sports 2 (U.S.), NTV+ Football, NTV Russia (Russia), BT Sport Europe (U.K.) The absence of Natcho for CSKA, though, could hurt as his energetic presence in midfield is a vital one for them. Since this is an all-hands-on-deck type of match for thew starters, that shouldn't hurt them too much, with the possible exception of the super-sub ability of Young. Manchester have several players out, but other than Shaw - who's out for the season - all of them are reserves. Out: Luke Shaw (broken leg), Ashley Young (calf), Patrick McNair (stomach), James Wilson (illness) Manchester United injuries and suspensions If anything gets through, he needs to be alert and ready to stop it. Smalling needs to be at his best today, because Moscow can bring pressure from so many areas that Manchester's midfield and his defensive teammates may have trouble keeping up. Smalling has still had moments when he's looked shaky and not up to the standard he's shown most of the time, however, often leaving Manchester fans nervous against teams with plenty of attacking talent like CSKA. Once one of the most derided members of their defense, he's been arguably the top performer at the back for them over the last two months. Smalling has had a surprisingly strong season for Manchester United. Key Manchester United player - Chris Smalling If he can keep taking steps forward, he might be exactly what CSKA need to get the win today. He's finally showing some signs of that, though, as one of CSKA's best players in a league campaign that's so far undefeated, as well as a top performer in their win over PSV in the Champions League. He hasn't really gotten any better in several years, and we've long been wondering when he would finally step forward and become the player we all thought he could be. Once one of the brightest, can't-miss talents in Europe, Dzagoev has just kind of. We could see something really special today.
Manchester United might have more talent in their side, but CSKA Moscow have the home field advantage - and in the Champions League, with this much on the line, all bets are off. With no one able to get any separation in the group, whoever gets even a little bit might be able to carry that through to the end. With the group so even, whoever wins this match should get an important leg up in the standings. For Manchester and CSKA, this battle in Russia could be quite a brawl.