Tuesday, 3rd November 2009 – KO: 19:45

Now this is a strange one.

Normally, it is the Carling Cup games that have us guessing at the team Fergie will put out, Champions League teams are usually comparatively easy to predict.

However, with all due respect to CSKA Moscow and with all due respect to UEFA, this Champions League tie is not our biggest game of the week.

That comes on Sunday when we travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the Premier League and whilst everyone will be trotting out the usual “one game at a time” cliches, that game will be on Fergie’s mind here and it will be on the mind of the players picked for this CSKA Moscow match.

If predicting the team is difficult then predicting the result is just as difficult.

A win would be great because that would pretty much seal top spot in the group (although Wolfsburg could still finish one point ahead of us, theoretically). A draw would be fine because that would guarantee us second place and a place in the next round.

The problem is that whilst it is hard to see, even a defeat would not be a disaster.

However, there are some clues as to what might happen here.

Basically, CSKA Moscow gave us very little to worry about when we played them at their place the other week. We were the ones who had done all the travelling, it was their home ground and it was their fancy pitch but we managed to overcome all of this, grab the vital goal and come away with the points.

And this is a characteristic of Manchester United so far this season. We are very hard to beat and far more often than not, we do just enough to get the result we need.

It also doesn’t seem to matter too much who Fergie chooses to play.

So far, it seems that certain absentees include Ferdinand, Vidic, Rooney, Giggs and Park whilst Berbatov is apparently a doubt.

So, it looks like the defensive partnership of Brown and Evans will be used again here, it wouldn’t be a total surprise if Evra was given a breather in favour of Fabio with either Rafael or Neville taking the right sided berth.

Foster could well be handed the gloves again for this one.

In midfield, there’s a decision to be made on Darren Fletcher I feel. If he has recovered from his recent injury then he will undoubtedly play against Chelsea and the decision is whether to throw him into that game “cold” or give him some minutes in this one.

I think he might well come on at some point but Anderson and Scholes to start seems likely with Nani on the left and possibly a slight surprise with Welbeck or Obertan on the right.

Up front, Rooney and Berbatov were probably going to be rested for Chelsea, even if they were available and so Owen might find himself partnering Macheda.

There have been some suggestions that a 4-5-1 could be employed with Owen up front alone but that is not really how we play at Old Trafford and I believe it will be the good old 4-4-2.

If it is 4-5-1 then Fergie is playing for the draw with the hope of nicking one for the win again.

It would be nice to think, however, that a 4-4-2 at Old Trafford in the Champions League, whoever Fergie picks, will be suitably inspired to deal with CSKA Moscow fairly comfortably.

It’s probably about time that we won one of our Group games with a bit of style and I think this could be the game.

As for CSKA Moscow, all is not well in their camp. Shortly after we played them, they were soundly beaten 3-1 by local rivals FC Moscow when they were massive odds-on favourites to win. Juande Ramos was sacked as a result after just 47 days in charge.

When we played them at their place the other week, we played a patient game and coped with most of what they had to offer quite easily. When we started to put our foot on the gas, things started to look a bit ominous for CSKA until we finally made the breakthough with four minutes remaining.

CSKA might think they lived with us and that they almost held us to a draw but United were playing well within themselves.

I can see an early goal for United in this one and at least one more at some point. CSKA Moscow looked quite toothless in attack and if they score even once it would be a surprise.

I can see us winning this 2-0 or possibly 3-0.

The bookies don’t agree and think we will just sneak another narrow victory or draw.

It normally pays NOT to back a team when they don’t NEED to win but on this occasion, I am going to go against my own advice. I think we will win this one because we will create chances and a couple will be converted whereas CSKA will create very little and won’t score.

The bet is 2 points Manchester United -1.5 Goals @ 2.34 with Canbet.

I normally watch a replay of the match before writing my review but in this case, I don’t think it is necessary.

I underestimated CSKA Moscow here but in my defence, I don’t think I was the only person in Manchester this evening who underestimated them.

A backline of Neville, Brown, Evans and Fabio looked pretty good to me but they were at fault for all CSKA Moscow’s goals.

That said, I think sometimes Lady Luck goes with one team and she definitely had her eye on CSKA tonight.

We started very brightly and Michael Owen could have had a hat-trick by the time he scored his first goal and I had no doubt in my mind that my bet would be a winner tonight but full credit to CSKA, they came out, threw a bit of caution to the wind and the scraps of chances they created, they took with aplomb.

However, I am still a bit gutted because when I was writing my preview, I kept coming back to something I had written:-

“And this is a characteristic of Manchester United so far this season. We are very hard to beat and far more often than not, we do just enough to get the result we need.”

Tonight we needed a draw and we did just enough to get it.

A lot might be said of the missed chances by Manchester United and a lot might be said about the blatant penalty that Fletcher was denied but even had things gone our way, I still think now that we would have finished this game level.

Full credit to Manchester United for coming back from 3-1 down with the clock ticking away but the players on the pitch should have done better really.

Still, we have got the result we wanted and another point from each of our next two Champions League matches will see us topping the group.