Spartak Moscow will be hosting Maribor Otkrytiye Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 21) in a Champions League match featuring champions of Russia and Slovenia. The result will have a significant say on which team will progress in the knock-out stages from Group E. Spartak Moscow are currently third in the group with five points but could go second with a win should Sevilla lose to Liverpool in another group match. The Russian side goes into the contest after downing FC Krasnodar with a 4-1 victory in the Russian Premier League on Saturday.

Maribor travels to the Russian capital in an attempt to get their first Champions League this term after securing a point in their first leg contest in Slovenia.

The game ended in a stalemate of 1-1. The Slovenian champions head into the match after facing off with their fiercest domestic rivals, Olimpija Ljubljana in a league match that Maribor prevailed with a narrow 1-0 away victory.

Talking points

  • Spartak Moscow has been in a great run of form recently with the Russian giants only losing once in the last fourteen matches they've played in all competitions. The single loss came in a Champions League game where Massimo Carrera's men fell 2-1 to Sevilla in Spain.
  • Spartak Moscow still has prospect should they win against Maribor, but that will be dependent on the result of Liverpool-Sevilla match and how the teams will fair in the last group match. A win for the Russian side coupled with a win for Liverpool will boost the chances of Spartak Moscow progress given that Massimo Carrera's team has a superior goal difference to that of Sevilla.
  • After overcoming FC Krasnodar at the weekend in the Russian league, Spartak Moscow will be seeking success in the test against Maribor on Tuesday, but their eyes will be fixed on another big domestic contest. Spartak Moscow will be hosting Zenit St. Petersburg on Monday in a game that will feature top teams from the capital city.
  • Even though Maribor has a mathematical chance of progressing into the Round of 16, the prospect is diminishing and will surely die with a loss in Russia. In fact, if Sevilla secures a point against Liverpool, Maribor will be eliminated from the European elite competition even if they win all their two remaining matches.
  • Maribor hasn't managed to score a goal away from home in the ongoing Champions League matches, but the Purples have conceded a massive six goals on the road. The three out of four Champions League games featuring Maribor in this term has witnessed high-scoring with each game realizing at least a total of three goals.

Team news

The hosts will welcome the Purples without the services of Jano Ananidze, Georgi Tigiev, Aleksandr Samedov, and Artem Timofeev.

They are all sidelined with injuries. Roman Zobnin, who only featured in the weekend success at FC Krasnodar after missing out for an extended period, is doubtful after just playing a half of the weekend match while Giorgi Jikia is banned from the game.

The Purples' manager, Darko Milanic could go into the contest without Luka Zahovic, Denis Sme, and Aleksander Rajcevic.

However, the managers said that Luka and Denis are only doubtful and will face a late fitness test for him to see if he can draft them in his squad.

Prediction

Russia is always hostile to visiting teams given the low temperatures that compel matches to be played earlier than other sections of Europe. In fact, Barcelona had lost in the past to the Russian minnows, Rubin Kazan in a Champions League match that was played in Russia.

The hosts are the overwhelming favorite in the contest, but the visitors could get their first away goal as the Purples wait to play their last group match as a formality.

Full-time prediction: Spartak Moscow 3-1 Maribor
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