Man Utd vs CSKA Moscow Live Stream, Team and TV Info

Manchester United vs. CSKA Moscow sees Old Trafford receive a visit from the runaway Russian Premier League leaders.

The Horses—so nicknamed thanks to their training facility being "previously located in a horses stable," per the Independent—finished runners-up in last season's title race, but after 14 games of their domestic season, they boast an unbeaten record and a nine-point lead.

The Red Devils, of course, have struggled for form of late. Their defence has conceded just once since the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal—the goal scored by Seydou Doumbia in Moscow—but that game was also the last time their attack registered a goal.

Per Mark Ogden of the Daily Telegraph, Louis van Gaal described his side's struggles in front of goal as "a moment in the process," but he acknowledged the need for improvement in that area. 

With Group B delicately poised at the halfway stage, the result of this game could be a big factor in the eventual standings.

Wolfsburg currently top the group with six points. CSKA and United are equally matched on four points—both having scored and conceded four goals. PSV Eindhoven have just three points—having suffered two defeats since their win over United in the group's first round of fixtures.

Both managers know a win here will be a significant step towards qualification.

Date: Tuesday, 3 November 2015

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT / 2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

TV Info: BT Sport Europe (U.K. Only) / Fox Sports 1 (U.S. Only)

Live Stream: BT Sport (U.K. Only) / Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S. Only)

Form Lines

Manchester United: LWDDLD

CSKA Moscow:  LWDDWW

Team News

Manchester United's website cited an MUTV interview with Van Gaal to confirm Phil Jones will be "returning in the selection," but Memphis Depay will miss out due to this game coming too soon for his recovery. They also report Antonio Valencia is "set to miss out" and Luke Shaw is still absent with his long-term injury. 

Morgan Schneiderlin missed training on Monday, but Van Gaal explained that this was for "private reasons," which the manager had accepted. This is good news for United, who may have lacked midfield solidity without the Frenchman. 

United's official website also reported, "Paddy McNair is moving closer to fitness after being granted a break in Northern Ireland last week," which will add to the Red Devils' squad depth.

BBC Sport noted, "CSKA defender Aleksei Berezutski and midfielder Roman Eremenko, who has a groin injury, are doubtful for the match."

Predicted Lineups

Manchester United - Football tactics and formations

The above lineup has an aspect of wish fulfillment to it. In truth, playing Ander Herrera in midfield may be a tad too attacking for Van Gaal's current tastes. However given their recent difficulty in creating chances, a more attack-minded central-midfielder to play alongside Schneiderlin could be an asset.

Bastian Schweinsteiger has not been at his best recently, and perhaps could benefit from a rest. He and Michael Carrick could also struggle against CSKA's quick, incisive counter-attacking, and having the additional energy in midfield could be an asset to United from a defensive perspective too.

Elsewhere, with Memphis unavailable, dropping Herrera deeper would allow a route to playing Anthony Martial at centre-forward, something many United fans would be happy to see.

CSKA Moscow - Football tactics and formations

For CSKA, Bibras Natkho will presumably line up in central midfield if Eremenko does not play. Elsewhere, given they made life very difficult for United in the first half in Moscow and are in such good form, sweeping changes are unlikely.

Players to Watch 

It is hard to look beyond Martial  as United's main man in this game. After the Crystal Palace game on Saturday, Alan Pardew said, per Sky Sports, "It was a big target for us to stop him and we felt that if we could stop him we could stop their creative angle."

CSKA were unable to stop Martial from having an impact in Moscow. Although he played that game on the left wing, his goal came from some fine centre-forward play, as he guided his header deftly past Igor Akinfeev.

That remains the only goal the 19-year-old has scored since being moved out to the flank, and if Van Gaal wants to maximise Martial's—and United's—chances of success, he should play his young charge through the middle. 

CSKA's star man against United was right-back Mario Fernandes. With six tackles, seven interceptions and seven clearances, he did a fine job of keeping Martial quiet when the Frenchman tried to attack down the left. He was also an outlet during CSKA's counter-attacks. 

Elsewhere, Pontus Wernbloom also shone, from a defensive perspective. His seven tackles and 10 interceptions were a key part of keeping United's attack from breaking through when the Red Devils were in the ascendancy.

Key Battle

On the last occasion these two teams met, the game represented the proverbial game of two halves. In the first half, CSKA, while ceding 65 per cent of the possession, had the better chances, with five efforts on goal to United's three. In the second, United had four shots to CSKA's one, and had the ball in their possession 71.2 per cent of the time. 

According to Leonid Slutski, they were able to turn that dominance into an equaliser in part thanks to CSKA's tiredness.

Speaking to UEFA's official website, the CSKA head coach said: 

We showed very good quality in the first half. Things were working well for us and we might have gone even further in front. After half-time, though, we didn't manage to play well enough on the counter attack.

Looking at it, if you feel fatigue, mistakes happen. And given the current condition of Alan Dzagoev and Roman Eremenko, and Bibras Natcho's injury, we didn't have a player to dictate play in the middle of the park.

The change in the midfield battle was the key to the change in the game. Once again, the clash in the centre of the park will be key here.

Given United's run of form in front of goal recently, the battle between United's forwards and the ever-effective Akinfeev in CSKA's goal could also be an important facet of the game.

Article Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2585269-manchester-utd-v-cska-moscow-team-news-predicted-lineups-live-stream-tv-info