Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for the final round of
Champions League group games, with
Manchester United taking on
CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford in Group A!
United have not yet guaranteed their place in the knockout stages of this competition, but it would take a drastically unlikely set of results for them to miss out this evening - to the extent that we can say with full confidence that they will be playing in the last 16. It is not so straightforward for CSKA, though, and they must pull off a shock here in addition to hoping results elsewhere go their way.
I will take you through all of the permutations a little later, but for now let's have a look at the team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Valencia, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Herrera, Blind, Pogba; Mata, Lukaku, Rashford
MAN UTD SUBS: Pereira, Darmian, Tuanzebe, Young, McTominay, Lingard, Martial
CSKA STARTING XI: Akinfeev; Fernandes, V. Berezutskiy, Ignashevich, Vasin; Nababkin, Kuchaev, Golovin;
Vitinho, Chalov, Dzagoev
CSKA SUBS: Pomazun, Makarov, Gordyushenko, Zhamaletdinov, Khosonov, Olanare
What can we make of those teams, then?
Well, there are plenty of things to note about Manchester United's selection, chief among them a very rare start for Luke Shaw at left-back. The defender has been regularly and publicly criticised by Jose Mourinho over the past season-and-a-half, and has been linked with an exit in January, but he finally gets the nod in defence today.
It is Shaw's first appearance for the club since October 24, and he has only played 48 minutes of football across all competitions this season.
United do, of course, have the Manchester derby coming up on Sunday, but that has not prevented
Jose Mourinho from keeping faith with
Romelu Lukaku up front due to the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Lukaku scored 11 goals in his first 10 outings for United across all competitions, but he has since managed just one in his last 12 games and another blank tonight may raise the question as to who will start in Sunday's derby, despite Mourinho insisting that he is happy with the Belgian's contribution.
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As promised, David de Gea and Nemanja Matic are not risked tonight, with the former coming off the back of a truly sensational display against Arsenal at the weekend and the latter having played in that match despite concerns over a muscle problem.
Sergio Romero fills in between the sticks when Herrera and Blind come into the midfield, but Paul Pogba does retain this place ahead of the beginning of his three-match domestic ban.
Pogba's red card against Arsenal - and United's subsequent decision not to appeal it - means that he will miss the Manchester derby in addition to two matches after that, so it makes sense for the France international to start this evening as it will be his last competitive action for a while.
Smalling and Lindelof also retain their places from the weekend win over Arsenal, although it looks as though United will revert to four at the back, with Blind expected to play in midfield.
Rojo is the man to make way from the back three which started against Arsenal, which is one of six changes made by Jose Mourinho to that side - including starts for the likes of
Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata alongside Lukaku in the front three.
There are also five changes from their last Champions League outing, but for the likes of Lingard and Martial - who both drop to the bench - that is probably a compliment as Mourinho now appears to favour them for the derby at the weekend due to their recent form.
CSKA are without two key players for tonight's match through suspension, with both Pontus Wernbloom and Bibras Natcho missing out due to disciplinary reasons.
Wernbloom in particular is a blow having thrived since being moved into a more advanced attacking role, scoring five times in his last six matches. Wernbloom is also a Sweden teammate of Lindelof and a former teammate of Romero from their AZ Alkmaar days, so he would have fancied coming up against a couple of familiar faces.
One to watch for the visitors tonight is Fedor Chalov, who has been nominated as one of six contenders for the Young Player of the Year award in Russia this season.
The 19-year-old is expected to be tasked with leading the line this evening, with Vitinho - scorer of two penalties at the weekend - and the dangerous Alan Dzagoev in support alongside him.
It looks like it could be a 3-4-3 formation for CSKA tonight, with Fernandes and Nbabkin operating as the wing-backs and Berezutski, Vasin and Ignashevich in the defensive trio.
Behind them is Igor Akinfeev, who finally put an end to his dreadful run of games without a Champions League clean sheet on matchday five, keeping the opponent at bay for the first time in his last 44 games in the Champions League proper with the win over Benfica.
Another clean sheet tonight would certainly be welcome, although it may not be enough to see CSKA through to the last 16 of the competition depending on how Basel get on against pointless Benfica in Lisbon.
Benfica have been really disappointing this season, but CSKA will be hoping that they can turn it on tonight as a point for them would be enough if Basel lose. Simply put, CSKA must better Basel's result tonight to qualify, with both sides locked on nine points, and if both sides win then CSKA must beat United by three goals to progress and by five goals to go through as group winners - something which isn't going to happen.
Indeed, while Manchester United have not technically qualified for the last 16 just yet, it is impossible to see them being resigned to Europa League football after Christmas and it would take a scarcely-believable set of results for them to even let go of top spot tonight.
A point guarantees qualification as group winners, and United can even afford to lose by six goals and still go through. Should United lose tonight and Basel fail to beat Benfica then United and CSKA would go through, with top spot then decided by head to head. Considering United won the reverse 4-1, that is likely to go the way of Jose Mourinho's side.
The real fun begins if CSKA and Basel both win, as then we will have a three-way head-to-head battle between the teams on 12 points apiece.
Even then, though, United would have to lose by seven (yes, SEVEN) goals to be eliminated, and by five to even lose top spot. As I said before, that ain't gonna happen, folks.
United come into this match having won four of their last five games across all competitions, although the only exception in that run came on matchday five when they were beaten 1-0 by Basel.
The Red Devils had won all four of their opening Champions League group games this season before that defeat, although they now face the prospect of losing back-to-back matches in this competition for the first time since 2012, when they were beaten by Galatasaray and Cluj.
The matchday five defeat to Basel was only their second in their last 17 European outings including their victorious run to the Europa League title last season, with 12 wins and three defeats in that time.
This is United's first appearance in the Champions League group stages since 2015-16, and they have not reached the knockout stages since 2013-14, so it has been a while since the club were where they feel they belong on this stage.
Aside from the obvious unlikelihood of CSKA winning by the required margin tonight, the task of the visitors even picking up any win - indeed any point - looks slim when you consider United's home form this season.
Mourinho's side have won all 10 of their matches at Old Trafford across all competitions, scoring 29 goals in the process and conceding just twice. United have kept eight clean sheets in that time too, whilst scoring exactly four goals in a game in half of their home outings this term.
United's unbeaten run here at Old Trafford now stretches back 39 games to their September 2016 defeat at the hands of Manchester City, who of course are the next team to visit here at the weekend.
Should United avoid defeat tonight as expected then they would equal their club record of 40 consecutive home games without defeat in all competitions, in addition to wrapping up a perfect Champions League group stage on home soil too.
Mourinho's side have won both of their Champions League home games this season without conceding, and they are now unbeaten on home soil in this competition in 11 matches, winning nine of those since a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the last 16 of the 2012-13 campaign.
Their group-stage record stretches back even further to December 2012's shock loss at the hands of Cluj - one of only two losses United have suffered at home in the group stages of this competition from the last 48 attempts.
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Including the Europa League it is now 20 European home games since United last tasted defeat here at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils going on to lift the trophy last season and book their place back in this competition as a result.
That triumph also saw United complete a clean sweep of the European trophies, becoming one of only a handful of clubs to have lifted the European Cup/Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League and the Cup Winners' Cup.
That is the pedigree which CSKA must face up against tonight, then, as they bid to reach the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time since 2011-12.
The Russian outfit have regularly appeared in the competition since then, but more often they not they find themselves towards the bottom of each group. This time around, though, they have reached matchday six with the chance to progress, and they will be desperate to take that however difficult the task tonight.
CSKA are at least guaranteed a place in the Europa League already, with Benfica yet to pick up a point in this season's campaign and so well out of reach at the bottom of Group A.
While a win at Old Trafford could be a daunting task for the visitors tonight, they certainly shouldn't be underestimated either as their record so far in this season's competition hase been impressive. Indeed, CSKA have won nine of their 11 Champions League games this season - including qualifiers - having failed to win any of their previous 10 games in this competition before that.
Perhaps the biggest improvement has come in their away form, though. Teams like CSKA often depend on their home form to give them a chance of progressing through the group, but the Russians have been in fine form on the road this term.
The victory at Benfica on matchday one was their first in the Champions League group stages since November 2014 - although United could perhaps take note of that result as CSKA came to Manchester and won against City.
CSKA went on to beat Switzerland in Basel as well, and including qualifiers they have now won all four of their Champions League away games this season, with their only two defeats coming on home soil.
Considering they had lost six and drawn one of their seven away matches in this competition prior to this season, it is major improvement from the Russian club, and in all competitions they have only lost once on the road in their last 20 competitive outings - stretching back to the most recent visit to England when Tottenham Hotspur won just over a year ago.
Home and away, CSKA come into this match on a six-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, including a 6-0 drubbing of Tosno on Friday - their biggest win in any competition since April 2016.
The opposition will, of course, be much stronger tonight, but this is a CSKA team growing in confidence having won five of their last six outings - including four on the bounce - following a spell which saw them pick up only one win in eight before that.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction!
CSKA need the result a lot more than United tonight, which could force them to go and chase the game. The visitors have players who could hurt United, but Mourinho's side should still have enough to come out on top and the pace of Rashford could hurt CSKA if they do go gung-ho. We're going for a home win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Manchester United 3-1 CSKA Moscow
United are unbeaten in all five of their previous meetings with CSKA, drawing two of those and winning three - all of which have come in the Champions League group stages.
United have scored in all five of those games too, including a four-goal haul in the reverse fixture in September when Lukaku (2), Martial and Mkhitaryan were all on the scoresheet in a 4-1 victory.
CSKA's most recent visit here was in November 2015 when a solitary Wayne Rooney goal was enough to dispatch Leonid Slutsky's side but, as I briefly mentioned earlier, they have won in Manchester before.
Indeed, their 2014 victory over Man City is their only previous away win in England, with three draws and four defeats also included in their eight trips to these shores.
Russian clubs as a whole have lost eight of their 12 away Champions League games against English opposition, with only two wins in that time, while United have never been beaten on home soil by a Russian outfit.
The Red Devils have won two and drawn three of their previous such games, and they have only ever lost once in 12 overall previous games against teams from Russia, with that solitary defeat coming at the hands of Zenit in the 2008 Super Cup on neutral territory.
Right, the players are out on the field and the unmistakable Champions League anthem is about to play, so before we get started let's have one final quick reminder of the team news tonight...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Valencia, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Herrera, Blind, Pogba; Mata, Lukaku, Rashford
CSKA STARTING XI: Akinfeev; Fernandes, V. Berezutskiy, Ignashevich, Vasin; Nababkin, Kuchaev, Golovin; Vitinho, Chalov, Dzagoev
KICKOFF: CSKA Moscow get us underway at Old Trafford!
It has been a positive start for CSKA in this match as they look to get on the front foot early on. This is a tall order for them tonight, but they look up for giving it a go.
OFF THE POST! United go straight up the other end and really should be ahead! Lukaku slides a pass through to Rashford, whose pace takes him away from the last man with only the keeper to beat. He does beat Akinfeev, but not the woodwork as his slightly scuffed shot comes off the post.
UPDATE: That was a let-off for CSKA, but that is bad news from elsewhere as Basel have taken an early lead against Benfica through Mohamed Elyounoussi.
CHANCE! Another early chance for United as Pogba plays the ball down the right channel for Lukaku, who plays a low ball into the box which goes all the way through to Shaw. The full-back takes a touch before going for goal, but his shot is blocked.
United are looking dangerous almost every time they come forward here. They seem to be able to break through the CSKA midfield and attack the defence with just one or two passes.
Almost another chance for the hosts as the ball falls to Blind on the edge of the box, and he shows great technique to shape his body for the volley. He catches the shot well too, but his effort is blocked.
UPDATE: An interesting goal from elsewhere in the Champions League as Bayern Munich have taken the lead against PSG through Robert Lewandowski.
SAVE! Romero has his first save to make of the evening, but it is a routine one as he gathers a tame strike from Dzagoev.
UPDATE: Another update to bring you as Juventus have taken the lead against Olympiacos through Juan Cuadrado.
CHANCE! Again United threaten the opening goal here as Rashford draws a good low save from Akinfeev. The chance was created by Mata, who brought the ball down exquisitely before teeing Rashford up.
United are camped in the CSKA Moscow half at the moment, but there is still no way through for the home side. It feels as though it will only be a matter of time, though.
Lukaku tries to barrel his way through the middle of the defence, but Berezutski is there to clear the danger for now. It is one-way traffic right now, though.
CHANCES! United are getting closer! They really should be ahead here as, after some brilliant build-up play, Valencia's cross from the right arrives all the way through to Shaw. The full-back's effort on the volley is a good one, but Akinfeev reacts really well to get down and make the save. The ball only drops to Lukaku, but he cannot convert from close range and Akinfeev makes another important stop.
CLOSE! Shaw, of all people, is looking the most likely to break the deadlock here! He gets forward again down the left flank to latch on to a perfectly weighted pass from Pogba, but he is caught in two minds and, instead of putting the ball on a plate for Rashford in the middle, he sends a shot/cross just past the far post.
United have had 62% of the possession so far tonight, in addition to seven attempts, but the scoreline remains 0-0 at the moment. CSKA should be behind, but they are hanging on so far!
SHOT! Better from CSKA as they keep possession for a decent amount of time, but that eventually comes to an end when Vitinho blazes a poor long-range effort high and wide.
United have just taken their foot off the pedal in the last few minutes having looked like slicing through CSKA with every attack before that.
The visitors have reached the half-hour mark without any damage here, which is better than a lot of teams have managed against United this season. The Red Devils have been clinical in their last couple of matches, but that hasn't been the case so far tonight.
CHANCE! Half a chance for CSKA as a low corner is played towards the edge of the box, where Berezutski has escaped his marker. It is a difficult one, though, particularly for a centre-back and he volleys an effort off target.
There is a bit of a lull in the game at the moment. The home fans are quite flat, just waiting for the opening goal they expect, but the team's performance has certainly dipped over the last 10 minutes or so.
Pogba pings a beauty of a pass over the defence for Lukaku, but the striker seems to hesitate before taking a touch and the ball runs away from him. He still gets to it before it goes out, but by that stage he is too far wide and his cross into the box only finds a CSKA man.
Just under 10 minutes remaining until half time at Old Trafford now, and CSKA have really grown into this one as the half has progressed. United have had their chances to take the lead, but they have gone off the boil since.
CSKA have two half-shouts for a penalty in quick succession as first Shaw drags one man to ground before quickly getting up and making a risky challenge on another. The referee correctly waves both away, though, and Vitinho then wastes the attack with a poor effort from the edge of the box.
UPDATE: goals are in short supply all across Europe tonight it seems, and two of the four scored in the Champions League have now come at the Allianz Arena, where Bayern Munich have doubled their lead against PSG through Corentin Tolisso.
Pogba challenges for a corner inside the box, but he cannot get a clean connection on his header as Akinfeev comes to claim the loose ball.
Shaw tries to make an impact down the left flank with a sharp turn of space, but he is crowded out in the end and the ball goes out for a goal kick. Shaw looks like he has something to prove tonight, though.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 CSKA Moscow (Vitinho)
Now then! CSKA take a shock lead at Old Trafford right on the stroke of half time, but it is not without controversy!
Fernandes races on to a through-ball behind the defence on the right flank and plays a low ball into the box which goes all the way through to Vitinho. The shot is not the best, but it beats Romero before coming off the back of Dzagoev and going in. The controversy comes as Dzagoev was stood in an offside position, although it looked as though the ball was going in anyway, and Blind was off the pitch which may have contributed to the linesman's decision.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-1 CSKA Moscow
The referee brings an end to the first half, and it ends in controversial fashion with that late goal for CSKA Moscow, whose hopes of reaching the last 16 are still alive.
United dominated the opening quarter of the game and could comfortably be out of sight at the halfway stage, but as it is they are staring down the barrel of a first home defeat of the season.
The goal came in the final minute of the first half, and it has been awarded to Alan Dzagoev having come off his back for the final touch.
The big debate will be whether it should have been flagged for offside or not, with Dzagoev standing a yard behind the final defender who was on the pitch as Vitinho's effort hit him. However, Blind was off the pitch behind the goal, which must have been why the linesman did not raise his flag. There was confusion amongst the players as to exactly what the rule was, though!
In truth, United only have themselves to blame for being behind at the halfway stage as they have had plenty of chances to break the deadlock.
Rashford hit the post after only four minutes when he was played through on goal, and he tested the keeper shortly after that with another low strike. Luke Shaw has been the unlikely figure to threaten the most, though, with his marauding runs down the left flank causing all sorts of problems.
KICKOFF: Manchester United get us back underway for the second half at Old Trafford!
SAVE! Brilliant from Rashford as he powers into the box and nudges it past one defender before collecting it on the other side and powering a shot towards goal which stings the palms of the keeper.
OK, let's try to clear up that goal and whether it should have stood. The law, as I understand it, is that if Blind left and stayed off the field on purpose then he would have been playing Dzagoev onside, but if he just slid off - as was the case - he should have been flagged offside.
It's all very confusing, but it sounds like it should have been ruled out!
News is now coming through that the goal has been awarded to Vitinho by UEFA, which makes even less sense! Unless they ruled Dzagoev to not be interfering in play as the ball was going in anyway, but that seems unlikely...
UPDATE: PSG have pulled one back against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, with Kylian Mbappe getting the goal.
CHANCE! Chance for United to level things up at Mata hooks a good cross into the middle which Smalling meets, but he can't get enough on his header and the opportunity goes begging.
YELLOW CARD! Berezutsky is the first name in the book tonight for a block on Pogba following a really good one-two with Lukaku.
SHOT! That foul gives United a free kick in a dangerous position and Rashford lashes an effort towards goal, but the wall does its job and deflects it behind for a corner.
UPDATE: United are not the only English side trailing at home tonight - Chelsea have also fallen behind against Atletico Madrid courtesy of a Saul Niguez goal.
Elsewhere, Roma have taken the lead against Qarabag, Paco Alcacer has broken the deadlock for Barcelona against Sporting and Celtic have just conceded the opening goal at home to Anderlecht.
United break quickly and Mata has lots of space in the middle of the park, but the attack slows down and that allows CSKA to get back and again deal with the danger. That was a waste from the home side.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 CSKA Moscow (Romelu Lukaku)
United finally have their equaliser, and it is Lukaku who is back on the scoresheet!
Pogba floats a fine left-footed ball into the box for the Belgian, who holds off the challenge of Vasin to divert the ball past Akinfeev with a smart finish on the stretch.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-1 CSKA Moscow (Marcus Rashford)
What a turnaround from Manchester United! Less than two minutes ago they were a goal down, but in the blink of an eye they are now ahead here!
This time it is Rashford who ends his own goal drought, exchanging passes with Mata before drilling a low strike across goal and into the far corner with his left foot. Mata lifted the ball over the defence and into the box, and from there Rashford did the rest.
MAN UTD SUB: The hosts make a change in the immediate aftermath of those goals, with Scott McTominay replacing Herrera.
UPDATE: A pretty torrid spell for CSKA has been made even worse by Basel scoring a second against Benfica, who are set to end the group stage pointless.
SAVE! Another save for Akinfeev to make, but it is a routine one as he gathers Valencia's effort from a tight angle.
Talk about a quickfire double!
MAN UTD SUB: Mourinho makes another change, and it is another youngster too as Axel Tuanzebe replaces Valencia.
YELLOW CARD! McTominay is the first United man in the book tonight for a mistimed sliding challenge.
MAN UTD SUB: Mourinho makes his third and final change as Anthony Martial replaces Lukaku.
SHOT! Pogba tries his luck from range having spun into space, but his effort is never troubling Akinfeev.
UPDATE: There are improving fortunes for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge too, with Stefan Savic's own goal levelling things up against Atletico Madrid.
Elsewhere, a second from Tolisso has restored Bayern Munich's two-goal lead over PSG.
All of those United changes mean, of course, that Shaw will see out the full 90 minutes on his first start of the season, although he is feeling the effects of that and needs treatment for cramp here.
Pogba has been really good in midfield for United today. He looks set to be a real miss for Sunday's Manchester derby.
CSKA MOSCOW SUB: The visitors make a change as Timur Zhamaletdinov replaces Vitinho, the dubious goalscorer.
CHANCE! Chance for CSKA to rescue a late equaliser! The ball breaks to Dzagoev inside the box and he really should score, but he effort is tame and Romero sticks out a leg to keep the ball out having already committed in the opposite direction.
United are beginning to enjoy themselves with some party football in the final third as Mata, Rashford and Pogba delight the fans with some nice skill in quick succession. Nothing comes of it, though.
Rashford breaks down the left flank and has all the way in the world to pick out Martial to his right, but his pass is poor and easily cut out by one of only two defenders back there.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
CSKA SUB: The visitors make their third and final change as Khetag Khosonov replaces Nababkin.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 2-1 CSKA Moscow
Well, it wasn't all plain sailing for United and they needed to come from behind against CSKA this evening, but they were never going to lose by the total required for them to suffer elimination and, in the end, did enough to maintain their perfect home record so far this seaspm.
Vitinho gave CSKA the lead in controversial fashion right on the stroke of half time - a goal which should have been ruled out for offside against Dzagoev, off whom the final touch came - but United ensured that would only be a footnote rather than the major talking point courtesy of quickfire goals from Lukaku and Rashford shortly after the hour mark.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Champions League clash between Manchester United and CSKA Moscow as the Red Devils confirm their place in the last 16 as Group A winners! I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
