“It was better to lose to Real Madrid, but go to Les.” ex-president of CSKA - about the team’s performance in the Champions League. CSKA in the Champions League: opponents, calendar CSKA's opponents in the Champions League
The draw ceremony for the main European club tournament took place in Monaco. on her Cristiano Ronaldo awarded for best goal season, and Modric awarded the title of best football player. But the main thing is that UEFA has decided on the composition of all Champions League groups. Of course, we are primarily interested in our rivals Loko and CSKA. Let's start with the champion.
Lokomotiv Moscow - Group D
Calendar
1st round: Galatasaray - Lokomotiv (September 18);
2nd round: Lokomotiv - Porto (October 2);
3rd round: Schalke 04 - Lokomotiv (October 23);
4th round: Lokomotiv - Schalke (November 6);
5th round: Lokomotiv - Galatasaray (November 27);
Round 6: Porto - Lokomotiv (December 11).
"Porto" (Portugal)
Place last season: Champions
Place in the UEFA rankings: 11
Portuguese football is not as strong as it was a few years ago. This is especially noticeable in European competitions. Portugal is far behind Russia in the UEFA rankings and has already lost several clubs this season. Nevertheless, Porto is the champion of this country. Last year, the lead over second place Benfica was seven points, and the Champions League ended with a crushing loss to Liverpool in the 1/8 finals.
Coaches the club Sergio Conceição, who previously worked with second-tier clubs. The midfielder stands out the most in the lineup Yassin Brahimi and forward Vincent Abubakar. They are still the most productive players in Porto.
The team started the season with a victory in the Super Cup and two victories at the start, but in last game slowed down and lost at home to Vitoria. But it is too early to draw conclusions about its form.
Schalke 04 (Germany)
Place last season: 2
Ilya Gerkus Even before the draw, I wanted the German vice-champions to be included in the Lokomotiv group. Perhaps the fact is that in the current Loko there are several former Schalke representatives - sports director Stoffelshaus, forward Farfan and newbie Höwedes.
The year before, Schalke screwed up and finished 10th. For the same reason, last season the club was left without European cups. He concentrated on the Bundesliga and calmly took second place in it after Bayern.
There are no superstars on the club’s roster (well, unless you count Embolo), and the coach is Domenico Tedesco. As with the Porto coach, this is his first time working with a strong club.
Galatasaray (Türkiye)
Place last season: Champions
Loko fans probably experienced nostalgic feelings for the Champions League of the 2000s. Then they also watched the games with this opponent. In 2002, both of them exchanged away victories.
Galatasaray is another champion in this group. True, in Europe last season turned out to be a real disgrace for the Turks. The defeat to the Swedish Östersund did not allow them to participate even in group stage Europa League.
We are used to the fact that in Turkey there are consistently many superstars who finish their games, but this concerns Galatasaray to a lesser extent. From famous football players except that Nagotomo And Feghouli. Plus Muslera- the same goalkeeper of the Uruguay national team who made an offensive mistake in the playoffs. But at the club experienced trainer. Fatih Terim certainly determined to restore the club's reputation in Europe.
CSKA Moscow - Group G
Calendar
1st round: Victoria (Pilsen) - CSKA (September 19);
2nd round: CSKA - Real (October 2);
3rd round: Roma - CSKA (October 23);
4th round: CSKA - Roma (November 7);
5th round: CSKA - Victoria (Pilsen) (November 27);
Round 6: Real Madrid - CSKA (December 12).
Real Madrid (Spain)
Place last season: 3
What can I say, the army team was unlucky again. Real for last years won the Champions League several times and rightly tops the UEFA rankings. And it makes no sense to look at the La Liga table, in which the team became only third.
However, one can hope that perestroika in Madrid will drag on. The coach has changed, Cristiano Ronaldo has left, and this will certainly play a role. At least the club failed to win the European Super Cup.
Roma (Italy)
Place last season: 3
Another bronze medalist in their league who created a stir in Europe. It was Roma that made perhaps the main comeback of last season, knocking out Barca after a devastating defeat in the first game. The Romans reached the semi-finals of the Champions League: no one expected this.
In the off-season the club lost Nainggolan, Alisona And Strotman, but I bought it N'Zonzi And Pastore. The head coach is still expressive Di Francesco, who recently freaked out so much during a game that he broke his arm.
It’s too early to draw conclusions about the beginning of the season, but in the off-season Roma played International Cup champions The results there were mixed. Yes, they lost to Real and Spurs, but they beat Barca again.
"Victoria" (Czech Republic)
Place last season: Champions
The only group champion who will probably only fight for third place. It is very likely that with CSKA (although who knows).
It is unlikely that the names of the players of this club will tell you anything. Unless the head coach - Pavel Vrba not long ago I coached Anzhi. Speaking of famous players: the club's students are Nedved And Czech.
The Czechs were knocked out of the Champions League that season by Steaua, but they managed to perform well in the Europa League. The irony is that the same “Steaua” ended up in the “Victoria” group and finished only second in it. In the 1/16 finals, Partizan was defeated, and the team stopped only at Sporting - in the 1/8, and even then in extra time.
Results of the European Cup week.
The ex-president and coach of CSKA speaks about the army team’s historic victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
- What would you answer if, before the start of the Champions League, I asked you: “Do you believe in CSKA’s victory over “”?
Of course, in this situation, everyone in my place would bet on Real Madrid. But the situation was such that in the second match, many young people took to the field as part of the Madrid team, and they played well in the first 30 minutes of the meeting. However, he held out and opened the scoring. After the goal, the constraint in the army team’s actions disappeared and they also began to play. Yes, the royal club had a territorial advantage, possession of the ball was also theirs. But the team was reliable in defense and did well in attack.
- Is a sustained starting onslaught a turning point in the game?
No, I became one goal scored. Afterwards, CSKA gained confidence in the game. Before this, the army team looked constrained and were more focused on defense than attack. The goal allowed doubts to be cast aside and the team moved forward. The red and blue looked good throughout the second half. This is the second and historic victory over Real Madrid, which everyone will remember. But it’s a pity that CSKA did not qualify for the Europa League. In this case, the result would be perceived more positively.
- Who should be praised for this victory first of all?
The whole team as a whole. The coach gives instructions and the players carry them out. And together they are a team. Therefore, there is no need to praise anyone separately.
A commentator on Marca radio said during the broadcast that Fedor is the most talented football player in Russia after Alexander. After the defeat of Real Madrid, will the army team have a lot of people wanting to sign a forward?
Anything is possible because Europe is also looking for young and talented players. Chalov is a pure striker, he has a chance - he scores. Fedor opens up well, interacts well with partners, and also has other positive qualities.
Is Chalov really the most talented now? Russian football player playing in the RPL? There is a feeling that the commentator said this phrase for the sake of a catchphrase.
There are quite a lot of talented football players in Russia, but the question is how they will progress. For example, the youth of CSKA played well this year, but they need to improve to be better. In any case, sooner or later, the opponent adapts to the game. Teams study players, find an “antidote” and need to constantly improve to prevent this from happening. Even Lionel and Cristiano do not stand still. Our players even more need to progress.
In turn, if we talk about CSKA, it is worth noting that the team does not always manage to show itself well. Yes, the matches with Real turned out to be of high quality, but the meetings with "" were not. By and large, it would have been better to take 6 points in the games with the Czechs in order to reach the Europa League playoffs, but to lose to Madrid.
- Will the experience of winning big matches help the young CSKA?
They need to forget that they didn't qualify for the Europa League and focus on continuing the season. It is necessary to play successfully in the Russian Championship in order to get into the Champions League and perform more successfully, thanks to the experience gained. And I have no doubt that they will not make mistakes if they face a team like Victoria as an opponent.
- Is relegation from European competition a plus for the army team in terms of being able to focus only on the RPL?
No, this is complete nonsense. In Europe, all teams play on several fronts, but only we constantly think about fatigue. You don't need to pay attention to this. You need to go out onto the field, play and overcome yourself. Because as soon as the thought that you are tired appears in your head, you immediately get tired (laughs).
- How did you perceive the fact that at the end of the match the Santiago Bernabeu stadium remained half empty?
In principle, this game no longer meant anything for Real. Even from the players it was clear that they were not giving their all. It is noticeable that, for example, he played carelessly. The Madrid youth tried, but Karim and others... They had no zeal. In addition, they were inferior to the army team in the fight. It caught my eye.
Can we say that the absence of Russian teams in the Champions League playoffs is a result that reflects the real level of our football?
I think yes. In principle, CSKA performed well, taking into account the change of generations. But the most important thing is that the army youth gained experience performing in. Such victories are worth a lot. After beating Real Madrid, the players gain confidence.
Could CSKA's victory become a signal and a kind of call to ensure that other Russian teams do not hesitate in front of more eminent rivals?
Of course this is an example. But there have been similar victories before. The same CSKA at one time beat Barcelona, and “” beat Real Madrid. But another more important thing is to conduct the entire tournament seamlessly. The army doesn't have stability. Yes, they beat the royal club, but lost 5 points in the matches with Victoria. And the Czechs took and defeated Roma, to which CSKA lost. But the Romans are not easy to beat either. In the meeting with Victoria, Goncharenko’s team needed to play reliably in defense, as in the meeting with Madrid. But somewhere here they made a mistake.
This fall we will see CSKA in the Champions League 2018 - 2019. The Moscow team will participate in the most prestigious club championship in Europe for the 6th time in a row. Who will be the red-blue's opponent? What does the schedule of games with the participation of the army club look like? And do Viktor Goncharenko’s players have a chance to make it to the next stage of the tournament?
According to the results of the draw, the red-blues ended up in Group G. The rivals of the capital's PFC were the Spanish Real Madrid, the Czech Victoria and the Italian Roma. The Muscovites will hold their first meeting on September 19 against Victoria, and the last on December 12 against Real. This is what it looks like full calendar capital club matches:
To reach the next stage of the Champions League, the army team must take 1st or 2nd place in its quartet. If they succeed, they will continue to play in the 1/8 playoffs of the tournament. The first round of knockout games will take place in February–March 2019.
Opponents of football CSKA in the Champions League 2018/19
Let's analyze in detail future football confrontations in Quartet G with the participation of the red and blue.
CSKA – Roma 2018
The club of Evgeniy Giner will clash with one of the leaders of Italian football on October 23 and November 7.
The football team from Moscow had to play with the Romans four times. Two matches ended in triumph for the Italians, one ended in a draw, and only once did the army team gain the upper hand. The last time the draw brought two clubs together was in the 2014/15 Champions League season. The Russians lost 1:5 in Rome. And in Moscow they were content with only a 1:1 draw.
CSKA – Victoria 2018
The army team is already familiar with “Victoria” from the city of Pilsen. The capital's footballers played with the Czechs in the group stage of the 2013/14 Champions League. The home match ended with a victory for the Russians 3:2. But in the return match the Victoria players were stronger 1:2.
CSKA – Real Madrid 2018
Most difficult opponent CSKA in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage games calendar. The Russian FC will meet with the leader of Group G on October 2 at home and on December 12 away.
The red-blues have already met with Los Blancos twice in the 1/8 Champions League 2011/12. The home game ended in a 1:1 draw. But the away match ended with a convincing victory for Madrid 1:4.
CSKA's chances of qualifying from the group
Let's be honest, the chances are slim. The army team suffered too many personnel losses in the off-season. The club lost a number of core players. The midfield was particularly affected. It will take a lot of time to find replacements for Natkho, Golovin and Wernbloom.
However, the chances of getting into the 1/8 are small, but they exist. To reach the next round of the Champions League, football players from Moscow need to fulfill several conditions.
Firstly, it is imperative to score the maximum number of points in games with Victoria. The team from the city of Pilsen is the weakest member of Quartet G. It will be extremely difficult to take points from the other opponents.
Secondly, it is necessary to score points in the matches with Roma. The Romans are the main competitors for second place in Group G. Ideally, the Muscovites should win at home and not lose away. In this case, the Red-Blues will be guaranteed a ticket to the spring stage of the Champions League!
The task is difficult. Viktor Goncharenko’s team will have to make serious efforts and even extra efforts to get into the playoffs of the 2018/19 Champions League. But the six-time Russian champions taught us to win in the most difficult situations. Therefore, there is hope that they will surprise this time too!
Benfica (Lisbon, Portugal)
A few hours before the start of the draw, Benfica was named in the text about the layouts the best option for CSKA. And so it happened - apart from Shakhtar, the Portuguese look like the weakest team from the first pot.
Last season, Benfica became the champion of Portugal for the fourth time in a row with a solid margin, six points ahead of Porto. In the previous Champions League, the team also ended up in a bad place. strong group, reached the playoffs and was eliminated by Borussia Dortmund.
Last time since Russian teams Benfica played in 2014 - then both times the Portuguese lost to Zenit. In three years the team has not changed much: there is still one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the Brazilian national team, Julio Cesar, the captain is the huge defender Luisao, and the powerful Jonas in attack. In general, a solid Brazilian diaspora. In addition, the army team should be wary of two Greeks - top scorer Benfica Mitroglou and passer Samaris.
Since the year before last, 47-year-old Portuguese Rui Vitoria has been coaching the capital club. When he was a footballer, he did not play anywhere above the local third division, but as a coach he won the Portuguese League Cup with Pacos de Ferreira and the Portuguese Cup with Vitoria.
Over the past 8 years, CSKA has met with Manchester United four times. The most memorable was Slutsky’s first match in the club at “ Old Trafford", which ended with the score 3:3. The Army team was leading 3:1 and lost the victory over the English in the last minutes. And in 2015, CSKA found Van Gaal in Manchester and was able to win only one point in two matches.
There is not much left of the Dutchman's team in today's Manchester. Lukaku, Pogba, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Martial - these players will need to be kept by Vasina and co. In addition, a couple of hours before the draw, Ibrahimovic announced that he was returning to the club: “I must finish what I started.” Apparently, Zlatan was hinting at winning the Premier League (and the Champions League).
Jose Mourinho brought Manchester United into the Champions League by beating Ajax in the League final. The most memorable matches of the Portuguese coach against CSKA were with golden Inter in the quarterfinals of the 2009/10 Champions League. Then the Special One beat the army team twice 1:0 each - Milito and Sneijder scored - and won his next European title.
In the first two rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United has a 100% overall result - 4:0 with West Ham and 4:0 with Swansea. In England, Manchester United is called the main contender for the championship, so in Group A the British are definitely the main favorite.
"Basel" (Basel, Switzerland)
The army team has already eliminated one Swiss team. Basel are Swiss champions but aren't playing much better than Young Boys. For the last 9 years, the team has won gold at home, but has performed poorly in the Champions League. Last season, Basel was in a group with Arsenal, PSG and Ludogorets and was eliminated from the tournament with two points.
An old acquaintance of CSKA, ex-Spartak player Marek Suchy, captains Basel. For a Czech former rival according to the RFPL will only be additional motivation. Two more famous football players in Russia: the brother of Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaki Taulant and Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who scored a lot in Sporting.
From this season, Basel new coach- young Swiss Raphael Wiki. By the age of 40, he managed to train with Felix Magath, educate several generations in Basel's youth teams and youth team and lead the main team. Vicki is only a couple of months younger than Viktor Goncharenko - a rarity in the Champions League.
Size prize fund- almost 2 billion euros. The total value of the players is 13.74 billion euros. The final of this competition alone is watched by 200 million viewers. All this is the Champions League, a tournament in which Lokomotiv and CSKA will start from Russia.
This is a tournament of life and death. When Spartak missed out on the group stage of the Champions League, it had to sell its leader Quincy Promes. And CSKA, which lost half of its roster, lured several stars to join itself only by the opportunity to play in this tournament. If our clubs qualify for the Champions League playoffs, this means that they will earn at least 35 million euros each. Who intends to stop them from doing this?
LOKOMOTIV'S RIVALS
"Galatasaray"
Budget: 100 million euros
Most Valuable Player: Badou Ndiaye, worth €15 million
Cost of the entire composition: 96.65 euros
The most mysterious opponent. Its main star is coach Fatih Terim, nicknamed the Emperor. The main trump card is the stands, on which the slogan “Welcome to Hell” addressed to the guests always hangs. But in terms of its financial capabilities, Galatasaray is at the level of the current Loko.
Schalke 04
Budget: 140 million euros
Most Valuable Player: Amin Harit, €25 million
Cost of the entire composition: 256.4 million euros
The German vice-champion, like all German clubs, knows how to count money. But last summer, Schalke lost several leaders at once, and the same Goretzka went to Bayern for free. There are no stars in Schalke's lineup, and two of its former players play for Lokomotiv - Farfan and Hevedas.
"Porto"
Budget: 130 million euros
Most Valuable Player: Yacine Brahimi, €26 million
Cost of the entire composition: 241 million euros
"Porto" is a business club. It exists to buy inexpensive players, mainly from Brazil, promote them and sell them to top European teams for big money. Thus, Porto has already earned 510 million euros over the past 8 years.
CSKA'S OPPONENTS
"Real"
Budget: 690 million
Most Valuable Player: Graeth Bale, €90 million
Cost of the entire composition: 968.3 ml. Euro
A giant of European football. No Russian club can compete with him in terms of financial performance. But by selling Cristiano Ronaldo, Real made a big mistake: now tens of thousands fewer spectators gather for his matches.
"Roma"
Budget: 200 million euros
Most Valuable Player: Konstantinos Manolas, €40 million
Cost of the entire composition: 369.2 million euros
Now Italian clubs are raising their heads. The TV contract for showing championship matches has increased, and the Serie A giants can again afford stars. And then Liverpool helped: they bought goalkeeper Alisson from the Romans for a record 62.5 million euros (Roma will receive another 10 million euros as bonuses).
"Victoria" Pilsen
Budget: 30 million euros
Most Valuable Player: Patrick Groszowski, €4 million
Cost of the entire train: 30.35 million euros
Our size! Champion of the Czech Republic - one of best teams Eastern Europe, but still the club is far from even the current CSKA. The army team begins the tournament with a match in Pilsen, and if they win, they will have at least some chance of fighting for access to the playoffs.
You won't find Cristiano Ronaldo on this list. At 33 years old and with a price tag of 100 million euros, he dropped to 13th place. But in football, the phrase “the most expensive players” does not mean the same thing as “the most valuable”. Cristiano will prove this yet.
IN Russian clubs The most expensive players in the Champions League cost several times less. Lokomotiv midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak is valued at 18 million euros. CSKA defender Mario Fernandez costs 20 million, and he is now the most expensive player in the Russian Premier League.
The strength of teams can be measured in different ways - by titles, ratings, income, number of fans... Or by the total value of players. And in this ranking Barcelona now occupies first place. It will be interesting to compare this table with the sports results of the Champions League.
BY THE WAY
32 clubs in the Champions League will earn 1.95 billion euros
Initial payments - 488 million euros
Each of the 32 clubs will be paid 15.25 million euros for participation in the group stage.
Fixed payments - 585 million.
The bonus for each win in the group stage will be 2.7 million, for a draw - 0.9 million.
Payments to playoff participants:
Reaching the 1/8 finals: 9.5 million each.
Reaching the quarter finals: 10.5 million each.
Reaching the 1/2 finals: 12 million each.
Reaching the finals: 15 million each.
The winner of the Champions League will receive an additional 4 million.
Participants in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup match will receive another 3.5 million, and the winner will receive an additional 1 million.
This ranking takes into account the performance of clubs in the Champions League over the past 10 years. If the team makes its debut in the Champions League, it will be entitled to a little more than 1 million euros, and best club over the past 10 years will receive 35.5 million euros. At the moment the best club is Real Madrid. And next are Barcelona and Bayern. They will get the most.
