Lokomotiv Moscow host Bayern Munich on Tuesday in Group A as the 2020-21 Champions League resumes.
Lokomotiv began their third successive campaign in Europe's elite competition with a respectable 2-2 draw at Red Bull Salzburg last week, with Bayern impressively thrashing Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Match preview
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Lokomotiv finished as runners-up in the Russian Premier League last season for the second successive campaign, having won the division in 2017-18.
They are becoming seasoned Champions League competitors, then, though their results in the competition certainly do not show it. Last week's draw at Salzburg was only the third time Lokomotiv have avoided defeat in their last 13 group games.
Domestically, things had been going well this season until the weekend's disastrous 2-1 home defeat to Rotor Volgograd, who remain bottom of the Russian league. Having put themselves in a good position by previously winning four successive matches, Lokomotiv now have more work on their hands to secure another top two finish - and subsequent Champions League qualification - with them currently occupying fourth in the table on 21 points after 12 matches.
In the short-term, Marko Nikolic is going to require a monumental effort from his players simply to avoid embarrassment on home soil against the European and Bundesliga champions.
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Indeed, the Germans became the first side in history to win every match in a European campaign on the way to winning their sixth European Cup last season, and will take some stopping as they look to move level with AC Milan's tally of seven titles in this competition.
The Bavarians overcame the disruption of Serge Gnabry's late positive coronavirus test to continue their winning streak in emphatic fashion against Diego Simeone's Atletico last week, with Kingsley Coman scoring twice in a scintillating attacking display.
They went one better at the weekend by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0 in the Bundesliga, with Robert Lewandowski scoring yet another hat-trick. The striker would surely have been an absolute shoe-in for the Ballon d'Or had it not been controversially cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.
Regardless, the Pole will be licking his lips on Tuesday against a side who have conceded two goals in each of their last six Champions League matches.
Lokomotiv Moscow Champions League form: D
Lokomotiv Moscow form (all competitions): WWWWDL
Bayern Munich Champions League form: W
Bayern Munich form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Team News
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Nikolic will be without midfielder Dmitri Barinov with a knee injury, while Stanislav Magkeyev, Slobodan Rajkovic and Vladislav Ignatyev are all doubtful to take part.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City defender Vedran Corluka captains the club having made over 200 appearances in his eight-year spell in the Russian capital. In attack, the dangerous attacking midfielder Anton Miranchuk will support strikers Fyodor Smolov and Portugal's Euro 2016 hero Eder.
Serge Gnabry remains unavailable for Hansi Flick to choose from after his positive coronavirus test, with Alphonso Davies also out due to an ankle injury.
Leroy Sane is a doubt due to his recent knee injury, so Corentin Tolisso is likely to return to the side after missing the win over Frankfurt through suspension, allowing Leon Goretzka to play in a more advanced midfield role.
Lokomotiv Moscow possible starting lineup:
Guilherme; Zhivoglyadov, Corluka, Murilo, Rybus; Zhemaletdinov, Kulikov, Krychowiak, Miranchuk; Smolov, Eder
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Pavard, Sule, Alaba, Hernandez; Kimmich, Tolisso, Goretzka; Muller, Lewandowski, Coman
We say: Lokomotiv Moscow 0-3 Bayern Munich
Lokomotiv have struggled to lay their mark on Europe's elite competition in recent years, scoring only once in three home group games last season. We cannot see anything beyond a routine Bayern win, with Lokomotiv content to keep the scoreline down.
