Since Anthony Martial’s diving header earned United a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture two weeks ago, Louis van Gaal’s side have registered successive 0-0 draws against Manchester City, second-tier Middlesbrough, who beat them on penalties in the League Cup, and Crystal Palace.
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However, Schneiderlin, who was signed from Southampton during the summer, believes that their goal drought will end sooner rather than later and that they can recover to continue challenging for the title. They have only won one of their last six matches in all competitions, however, and drawn their last four. Anything other than a victory against CSKA will lead to more questions on Van Gaal. We need to get a few points when we play at Manchester United’s stadium to progress to the next round because after that we’re hosting the group leaders Wolfsburg.
Man Utd star Juan Mata admits Tuesday’s Champions League clash against CSKA is pivotal in deciding the overall outcome of the group.
“We knew before the game they would be aggressive and that’s what they were in the first half”. They sit at the top of the league, dropping just 6 points in 14 games, opening a 9-point gap between them and arch rivals Lokomotiv Moscow. That performance was one of the best this season but they have failed to deliver that since. Goals ultimately win trophies though and the balance is not quite there at the moment. Having said that, the next two games at home including this midweek face off against CSKA Moscow could just be that turning point for United to turn the corner. The Russian side showed they have the ability to counter attack at pace and with Musa and Doumbia they have finishers that can hurt United. It’s up to us to win games and overtake those teams.
CSKA Moscow’s overall record in England is W1 D3 L2.
CSKA made the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the 2009-10 season, before reaching the round of 16 in the 2011-12 season.
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“When I came to this club I came to lift trophies”, he told the club’s website. He can, therefore, be really influential for the Russian side against United and will fancy his chances to score past De Gea, like he did in match-day three.
