'We’re in good shape'

The glass building at a corner of the stadium looks like the former UEFA Cup and, in fact, that is what it is supposed to represent. Construction on the CSKA Arena started immediately after the biggest triumph in the Moscow club's history in 2005 and the work was finally completed a few weeks ago.

Bayer 04 are the third opponenst in the Champions League here and are looking for a win on Tuesday night (18.00 CET) to take an important, and even decisive, step in the direction of the Round of 16. "We’re in good shape and still unbeaten in the Champions League," said Roger Schmidt at the pre-match press conference. On matchday five of six, if his team urns more points than Tottenham Hotspur in their second group match at AS Monaco then Bayer 04 will be through to the last 16.

And given the two hour time difference in Russia the Werkself can be a step ahead and "really put the opposition under pressure," as sporting director Rudi Völler said at the airport. Regardless of any such calculations, a win would be important to keep Bayer 04's fate in their own hands on the final matchday against Monaco. The match will not be a walk in a Moscow park as CSKA will be keen to use their last chance of reaching the Round of 16. They are now able to call on Alen Dzagoev, the playmaker and goalscorer in the 2-2 draw in Germany. The second goalscorer, Roman Eremenko, is unavailable after being suspended following a positive drugs test.

Personnel update

Talking about personnel: Bayer 04 will have to make do without Stefan Kießling (thigh), and Lars Bender (heel) in the below zero temperatures in the Russian capital. Ömer Toprak, the player at the press conference alongside Schmidt, gave his analysis of the opposition: "Moscow are compact, disciplined and good on the break. We experienced that in the first match and we want to do better tomorrow."

Toprak and Co. were able to get an impression of the steep stands and sweeping roofs of the impressive CSKA Arena when Roger Schmidt led the final pre-match training session. The squad worked for 90 minutes on the hybrid turf to prepare for the being on top form on Tuesday night to move closer to achieving the dream of reaching the Round of 16.