Andy Potts
From the moment the Champions League draw was made, the prospect of Manchester United coming to Moscow was the one which really captured the imagination.
Watching the groups being announced as Dinamo bowed out of the Europa League to CSKA Sofia, the press box at Arena Khimki immediately lost all interest in the game they were covering and began discussing what to expect from one of the aristocrats of the global game returning to Luzhniki to face local opposition.
With Sir Alex Ferguson's side sitting pretty on top of the English Premiership and taking an early stranglehold on their group with narrow wins over Besiktas and Wolfsburg, the Red Devils have lived up to their billing as a star turn.
But what of CSKA? Outflanked by a resurgent Zenit St. Petersburg, the army men are in real danger of missing out on a top-three finish and a return to next year's Champions League.
And while the appointment of Juande Ramos as head coach has perked up the team's stuttering form under Zico, they have the look of a team in transition.
Being held to a draw by lowly Spartak Nalchik on Saturday did little to dispel that sense, though Ramos pointed to the absence of Russian international defenders Sergei Ignashevich and Vasily Berezutsky .
That pair could be back in the heart of defence on Wednesday, but midfielder Mark Gonzales is out for the rest of the season after picking up an ankle injury while playing for Colombia. Brazilian Guilherme is also a doubt after limping out of the game at the weekend.
Manchester United, of course, have happy memories of their last trip to Moscow - winning the Champions League final in 2008 after a midnight penalty shoot-out in the pouring rain.
And Ferguson enjoys a good record from his clashes with Ramos - with two wins and a draw from their three encounters in England when the Spaniard was at Spurs.
But they will be hoping for a more comfortable time than their five previous encounters with Russian sides.
United suffered UEFA exits to Torpedo Moscow and Rotor Volgograd in the 1990s, and lost last year's Super Cup final to Zenit.
Russia's other Champions League representatives, Rubin Kazan, travel to Barcelona on Tuesday night (kick-off 10:45 am Moscow Time).
Moscow Reds
Fans travelling from England for the match can expect a warm welcome from the 400-strong Moscow Reds fan-club. The group, which is officially registered at Old Trafford, is taking 230 Russian United fans to the game - and even those who follow CSKA in the local league will be cheering on the Premiership champions according to group chairman Mikhail Starov.
Starov became a Red Devil 20 years ago when he got to know a student from Manchester and regularly travels to games in England. He helped set up the club seven years ago, and the group has adopted the Bobby Dazzler pub as its preferred venue for watching games. For more details, see www.manutd.ru
