Russian FCs have finally found out what teams will they have to face in the play-offs of the Champions League. Zenit St Petersburg and CSKA Moscow, two teams that continue to participate in the EUFA competition, were the first to know which rivals they had been allotted. Zenit was lucky, and its members as well as its fans can be cheerful about the possible outcome of the future match against Portugal's Benfica, and this rival doesn’t appear to be invincible.
CSKA, on the other hand, will have to try its chances against Real Madrid, the leading team of Spain managed by the famous Jose Mourinho.
CSKA had to play its first game in Moscow, but the club’s management addressed UEFA and asked them to relocate the game to Madrid due to the weather conditions, offering to host the return match in the Russian capital. According to the club’s manager, Barcelona and Real Madrid are the competition’s favourites, and despite that fact that Russian football fans will no doubt be delighted to actually see Real’s game, this draw is not at all favorable for CSKA FC, especially for the last 16.
However, CSKA is not desperate and according to the team’s coach, Leonid Slutski, it is virtually impossible to beat Barcelona now, but securing victory over Real is possible, even though extremely hard.
Another football expert, Alania FC President Valeri Gazayev, also suggested that despite the adverse circumstances CSKA has a chance to beat Real and get to the quarter-finals.
As for Zenit FC, it is quite satisfied with its last 16 rival. Bruno Alve, the Portugese football player who is currently a central defender of FC Zenit, said that Benfica is the perfect match for the club and expressed his confidence that both games with the Portuguese team will be spectacular and that Zenit will be victorious. “We have already beaten Portuguese FC Porto, and they are top of the national championship there, so we have good chances of beating Benfica as well," Alve said.
The first games of the last 16 will be held on the 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd of February. Return matches will be held on the 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th of March.
These matches are:
CSKA Moscow – Real Madrid
Zenit St. Petersburg – Benefica
Lyon – APOEL (Cyprus)
Napoli – Chelsea
Milan – Arsenal
Basel - Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen - Barcelona
Marseille - Internazionale
As for the first round of the finals, Rubin Kazan will play Greece's Olympiakos, while Lokomotiv Moscow will face Athletico Bilbao.
By Gia Saralidze, exclusively to VK.
