CSKA Moscow vs Manchester City preview - Life's a pitch for Pellegrini
Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2013 by PA
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has hit out at the state of pitch for his side's Champions League clash against CSKA Moscow.
Pellegrini claims it is "unbelievable" that UEFA is allowing the Group D match to go ahead on such a surface at the Arena Khimki.
The Chilean even thinks the match should be called off if the weather takes a turn for the worse and it rains.
The pitch has been a cause of concern for a number of weeks with recent fixtures having to be moved away from the venue.
CSKA have not played there since August and took their last Champions League home game, against Viktoria Plzen, 400 miles away to St Petersburg.
Pellegrini said: "I think it is unbelievable that the most important competition of the world is allowed to play in this pitch.
"We must pray tomorrow. If it is raining I think it will be impossible to play."
When asked if he meant the game should be postponed in such circumstances, Pellegrini said: "I think so. Really, I couldn't believe when I saw the pitch - not only for the two teams, but the people, this is the most important competition of the world.
"I think it deserves a better pitch."
Pellegrini's opposite number Leonid Slutsky is in agreement that the pitch is not good enough.
The CSKA boss, whose side have lost five of their last seven games in all competitions, said: "I suppose the quality of the pitch is, absolutely, equal to the quality of our latest results."
In previous years such a fixture could have been played at the Luzhniki Stadium but Russia's biggest venue is now being rebuilt ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
The game is a vital one for City as their hopes of progress could depend on their fortunes against the Russian champions.
With Bayern Munich having taken control of the group, City are probably now in a battle with CSKA for second place.
Pellegrini said: "It is not the last match of the group but I think it is very important, the game we play tomorrow.
"The team that wins tomorrow will have more chance (to go through) but both teams will still have to play three games more."
Pellegrini is not being lured into a false sense of security by the current form of CSKA, whose only victory in those last seven games came against Plzen three weeks ago.
That was also the only game in that sequence in which the Russian side scored.
He said: "I think it is a very strong team, they are a big team here in Russia."
CSKA will, however, be weakened by injjury with defender Mario Fernandes and midfielders Alan Dzagoev, Rasmus Elm and Aleksandrs Cauna all out.
Key striker Seydou Doumbia is in training and in contention while Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has been passed fit.
"I have had such feelings before," said Slutsky, 42, whose own promising career as a goalkeeper ended at the age of 19 when he was injured after falling from a tree while trying to rescue a cat.
"We have had serious problems but as years have passed I have got used to the situation.
"Tomorrow we have an important game. We have 11 players of CSKA and we will do our best to get the best possible result."
Slutsky thinks CSKA's hopes of progress are likely to hinge on their upcoming back-to-back games against City.
"We now have watermark games. It is usually the same that the third and fourth games are the most decisive ones.
"Tomorrow is a key game and a lot will be understood after it but none of the teams will have progressed to the next stage yet."
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