Spartak look to freeze out Marseille challenge

Russia’s nine-time champions Spartak Moscow play French champions Marseille on Tuesday in a match that will effectively decide who takes the second qualifying spot behind Chelsea in Group F and progress to the knockout stages.

Spartak have not made much of an impression on the Champions League since the mid 1990’s and owe Marseille a dose of revenge as the French side eliminated them in the 1991 semi-finals before the victors went on to lose to Red Star Belgrade in the final.

Marseille put that defeat aside to finally end France’s drought in Europe’s top club competition when they beat AC Milan in the 1993 final – the winners captained that night by their present coach Didier Deschamps.

Deschamps’ side, though, need to win and better the 1-0 defeat they suffered at home to Spartak earlier in the group stage.

For if they finish level on points, as could well happen with the French side playing Chelsea in their final match and the Russians taking on whipping boys Zilina, then it is their head to head record that will decide who is second.

Spartak have had a poor season domestically, are a distant fourth with one match remaining, ruling them out of the Champions League next term, and also enter the match on the back of a 3-1 defeat to bitter city rivals CSKA.

What really made coach Valery Karpin mad was the manner in which his side had allowed a 1-0 lead and a one man advantage slide.

“I have no explanations as to our defeat,” said 41-year-old Karpin, who has been in the post since 2009 after filling the role of chief executive.

“We were playing really well until the CSKA defender Deividas Semberas was sent off. But after this we completely lost control.

“We have no right to lose our concentration like that in the match with Marseille. Such carelessness can cost us a place in the Champions’ League knockout stage,” added the Estonia-born former Russian international.

Karpin, though, will not be able to field several key players.

Brazilian playmaker Alex, who suffered a hip injury in the match with Rubin Kazan earlier this month, will definitely miss the match along with defender Sergei Parshivlyuk.

There are also doubts over 30-year-old Austrian defender Martin Stranzl and another Brazilian forward Ari, who have failed to find top form since returning from injury.

Deschamps takes his side into the clash on the back of a 1-0 away win at Toulouse with a late goal by talented Ghanaian international Andre Ayew – whose father Abedi Pele was a team-mate of the coach’s when they beat AC Milan to take the trophy.

While Deschamps realises that there will be no repeat of the 7-0 hammering they inflicted on Zilina in Slovakia in the last round of matches he says he and his team are mentally prepared for the challenge of pulling off the victory they require.

“We are going to play a team that left a lot of its first choice players on the bench (for Saturday’s derby with CSKA),” said Deschamps, who coached Monaco to the final of the 2004 Champions League where they lost to Jose Mourinho coached Porto.

“It is vital that we acclimatise quickly to the style of play and notably to the fact we will be playing on a synthetic pitch.

“We are going to prepare to our best ability and we are going there full of hunger. We still have the cards in our favour and we know very well that to win there will guarantee us a place in the second round.”