CSKA Moscow can qualify behind Bayern Munich in UEFA Champions League Group E if it can overcome the odds with a win in Germany.
Vasili Berezutski's injury-time goal to snatch a 1-1 draw against Roma on matchday five handed a huge boost to CSKA's hopes of reaching the last 16, although Manchester City’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Bayern later that evening clouded the issue.
Bayern is already assured of first place, having won its first four matches, including a 1-0 triumph in Moscow, but the three other teams in the pool are locked together on five points apiece.
CSKA's four-point haul from its games against City means the Russian club holds the advantage over the Premier League champion on head-to-head, although a 5-1 thrashing in Rome back in September counts against it.
The upshot is CKSA must win in Munich and hope Roma does not do likewise when it hosts City — and victory at the Allianz Arena stands as one of the tallest orders in football today.
Bayern has won 10 out of 10 on home turf across all competitions in 2014-15, conceding just twice, and boasts a similarly imposing record against its Russian visitors thanks to 3-0 and 3-1 wins when the teams were drawn together in last season's Champions League group stage.
Provided Berezutski recovers from a knock, CSKA is at full strength — with the exception of long-term absentee Rasmus Elm (stomach) — as it aims to build on momentum gained through three consecutive domestic wins heading into Russia's winter break on the back of the Roma result.
Bayern is without Mehdi Benatia following the defender's red card against City, while influential midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is chasing a first start of the campaign as he works his way back to full fitness.
Time on the sidelines for Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez have provided midfield opportunities for the likes of Sebastian Rode.
Signed from Eintracht Frankfurt during the offseason, Rode has gradually adjusted to life with the Bavarian giants and produced an influential display from the bench during Saturday's 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Benatia's sending off at the Etihad Stadium meant a tactical substitution cut short Rode’s first Champions League start. And the 24-year-old insists Pep Guardiola's team will work hard to end a triumphant group campaign with a fifth win.
Rode told Bayern's official website: "We still want to win. It'll be another 70,000 crowd and we want to put on a show for them. If I play, I can promise I'll give it everything."
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