[ZoltaR]

Olympians are in Moscow
They left this tuesady at 5 PM. They arrived in Moscow at 10.50 PM, local time (8.50 PM, French time).


Welcomed by a temperature of 3 degrees, players and staff joined the Hôtel Renaissance in the center of the city.



Samir Nasri is in the group. The young midfielder, who has been called to play with the Youths, obtained the autorisation of the Federation to take part in the group.
On wednesday, Olympians will train at 7 PM..

[ZoltaR]

Fernandez: “One of the best teams in Europe”
OM begin the pool phase of the UEFA Cup against the most dangerous team in their group. “CSKA Moscow is one of the best side’s in Europe,” warns Jean Fernandez.


Four days after Paris, OM must prepare for a new battle...
Yes, but that’s European cup football. What’s more is that it’s really quality opposition. They’re reigning European champions, currently leading their domestic league with players capable of making the difference at any moment. I’m thinking especially of Wagner Love and Ricardo Carvalho. We’ve begun to recuperate and we’ll try to have as much energy as possible to be ready for Thursday’s match.

What information have you gathered regarding the weather in Moscow?
Today it’s good, but the forecast for Thursday is bad. They predict subzero temperatures and even snow. The playing surface is good, but the conditions could be difficult for football. We will have to adapt. Everyone coming will have to prepare beenies, gloves and scarves… no shorts!

Lorik Cana played this team last year with PSG. According to him they are, above all, a real collective…
I’ve seen several videos. As well as their stars, they seem to have very good midfielders. To be a European champion and leading in Russia they have to be very, very good right across the board. And they are. When we look at their UEFA Cup final last year against Sporting Lisbon… They returned to Sporting’s ground trailing 1-0 and they won 3-1.
So they don’t only have their big names, they’re also a good team. A team that holds its shape, is well organised and they have athletic players that are very quick. They really are one of the best teams in Europe today.

The group phase is a like a mini-league. Every point will be crucial.
In the four games we will play, I imagine we’ll have to win two and draw one, or win one game away from home. We’re starting with the toughest match knowing that we have the bye on match day 2 before hosting Heerenveen on match day 3. We need to score our points in those final three games. We have two home games (Heerenveen and Bucharest) and one match in Sofia. It could be a tough start to the group.

According to Cana, it’s in OM’s favour to go to Moscow rather than receive CSKA to the Vélodrome. Do you agree?
They’re a good counterattacking team. And it’s always harder to construct play at home, with well-built attacks. But they do have one real threat: the dead-ball situations. They have the Bereski brothers who are very strong, very tall and very good in the air. I think if we can be solid defensively we will be able to hit them on the counter.

Due to the number of games coming up, have you considered resting some players?
Apart from Fred (Déhu) everyone is ready and operational. We don’t have any injuries and no suspensions. Fred has only just resumed training and is probably a little bit underdone, so he will have a big week preparing for the week after. We know it’s a big game and we know we have another big game three days later against St Etienne, so we’ll have a long think about all that.

[ZoltaR]

Le CSKA won and is leader
OM adversary in UEFA Cup, played against Rubin Kazan for the 26th day of Russian Championship.
First goal was scored at the 11th minute thanks to the miedfilder Odiah. In second half, Ignashevich scored (51st). Rubin Kazan came back to 1-2 thanks to Bukharov.
This victory makes CSKA leader with 50 points, like Lokomotiv.

[SportBoy333]

I'm looking forward to a French style butt kicking. Allez OM !

[ZoltaR]

Originally Posted by SportBoy333

I'm looking forward to a French style butt kicking. Allez OM !

i think it's a tough game coming. in moscow, with their crowd, their snow and blizzard lol

[SportBoy333]

If thats the case then OM should sit back and defend and play for 0-0.

[gaijin]

MOKBA. lol.

I've heard of MOCKBA in cyrillic.

Looks like I shall be going. *sigh*

But who do I root for? Its like picking which testicle to have removed...

I hate em both.

[ZoltaR]

[AllezParisAllezPSG]

i don't think they should have the defensive tactic... 1 goal away is precious...

[ZoltaR]

L'Equipe probable
Discipline
Arbitre : M. Jakobsson (Isl.)
Suspendu : Aucun
Suspendu adversaire : Aucun

Adversaire
Joueur(s) à surveiller : Carvalho, Love
Absent(s) : Olic
Classement actuel : -
Dernier résultat : -



-------------------BARTHEZ--------------------

FERREIRA - CANA - ANDRE LUIS - CESAR - TAIWO

------NASRI - ORUMA - LAMOUCHI - RIBERY-----

-------------------NIANG----------------------

Remplaçants : Carrasso, Nakata, Méité, Beye, Koke, Mendoza, Delfim, Gimenez
Absents : Déhu, M'Bolhi, L.N'Diaye, Cantareil, Quesnel