MOSCOW, Feb 23, 2010 (AFP) - Russian champions CSKA Moscow will go into Wednesday's Champions League last 16 round home clash with Spanish high-flyers Sevilla seriously lacking match practice.
The Red Army side have just returned to snow-covered Moscow from Belek in Turkey, where they set up a training camp as the Russian league is still on a winter break and will not kick off before March.
Last week at Belek CSKA suffered a 3-0 defeat in a friendly match with Ukrainian top flight side Dnepropetrovsk, but the Moscow side's manager Leonid Slutsky said he was not worried about the result.
"A win in such a friendly match could play a much more negative role for us than a defeat," Slutsky said. "It could cauxse us to lose our focus."
Slutsky added that he was much more worried about his team's lack of match practice ahead of the showdown with Seville.
"We have not played any official matches since our last Champions League clash with Besiktas in December," he said. "We have lost our rhythm and that specific feeling of true rivalry."
Slutsky added that he was confident that Sevilla would play defensive style football on Wednesday adding that the Spanish side were extremely dangerous on the counter-attack.
"I believe that everything will be decided in the return leg match at Sevilla," Slutsky said.
"And to be honest it's very much important for us not to lose a goal in the home match. Sevilla are stout in defence and are very dangerous on the counter-attacks. We should stay concentrated throughout the match."
On Wednesday CSKA are expected to field a full-strength line-up with one possible exception. Their 19-year-old Russian international midfielder Alan Dzagoev has failed to regain his top form after overcoming a knee injury.
Sevilla meanwhile battled back from a goal down to clinch a morale-boosting away 3-1 win at Mallorca condemning the hosts to their first home defeat of the season.
Sevilla's goals came from forward Jesus Navas, Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovis and Argentinian midfielder Diego Perotti. The win left them in fourth place in La Liga behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia.
The team left for Moscow on Monday without the injured Luis Fabiano and Diego Capel, who both played in the Mallorca match, but with Frederic Kanoute who is fit to play once again.
Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido spoke to the players before they left and stressed upon them the importance of the match.
"If we can make into the quarterfinals, it would be a positive season," he said.
"We have to remember it will be cooler in Moscow, which our team is not accustomed to so it's important for our team to adapt quickly to the temperature early in the game.
"We are going to see a team who has a lot of skill with fresh players, which will be difficult for us."
