CSKA Moscow V Sevilla
Football : Europe : UEFA Champions League
Wednesday 24th February 2010 - Kickoff 5:30pm

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A rare early kickoff in the knockout phase gets us underway on Wednesday evening, as yet another manager welcomes a side he helped win many honours. Moscow will attempt to brush off the cobwebs and give the Spanish side a fight before they travel to Spain in 2 weeks.

CSKA Moscow (Russia)

The Russian season ended 3 months ago, so while Moscow might be fresher, they are miles behind Sevilla in match fitness. They need to take advantage of the bitter cold as they will no doubt get tonked in the return leg in sunny Spain.

CSKA have done well to get to this stage. They did beat Wolfsburg and Besiktas on this ground, but did not manage to keep a clean sheet on either occasion. A similar display against Sevilla would be disasterous, as the Spanish side have too much attacking prowess to call on and could carve them open given the opportunity.

The only thing going for the Russians, is the weather. The bitter cold will surely affect Sevilla, who are used to playing their football under sunnier climates. The question is, will it make enough of a difference?

CSKA's manager, Juande Ramos, knows the visitors well. He helped them win many honours in his time with them, the last being the UEFA Cup. But, as much as he might know about his former side, his current side just don't have the required talent to exploit it in order to get a win.

Sevilla (Spain)

Most of the attention in Spain is always on Barcelona and Real Madrid, but after these two, Sevilla are probably the best side in La Liga. Indeed, Sevilla boasts wins over both Barcelona and Real Madrid recently.

The Spanish side play very attractive football, and are loaded with talent up front. They are able to break with lightening speed to launch counter attacks, and are clinical in the final third of the pitch.

Navas and Capal are their wingers, and they will feed balls to Kanoute, Negredo and Fabiano, all of whom can wreck havoc on an ill-prepared defence.

I reckon Sevilla definitely score here, and with a score draw no good for CSKA, the chance of Sevilla hitting Moscow on the break as they try and keep pace is very high. As for the defence, who are not as reliable as Real or Barca, they quite possibly could let in a goal. What I feel confident about though is that Sevilla will outscore or at least match their hosts.

The Betting Verdict

Unlike Moscow, Sevilla are right in the middle of their season, and are playing regularly in the league and in cup competitions.

That will play to the advantage of Sevilla - facing opponents who have not played a competitive match in 3 months.

The Statistics :

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Taking Sevilla to qualify over 2 legs @ 1.40 (Bet365) looks like a banker

Consider Sevilla to win this match @ 2.50 (Bet365)


There is the option of two smaller bets on the first scorer market :
- Fabiano to score first @ 6.00 (Bet365)
- Kanoute to score first @ 7.00 (Bet365)

HANDICAP BETTING :

Also take some of Sevilla AH(-1) @ 4.50 (Bet365)