By Chris Rowland.

Just a brief fresh thread for this game, as the home leg’s almost broke under the sheer weight of – er, debate.

Anzhi are relative newcomers on the European scene, helped enormously by the wealth of the region coming from oil reserves extracted in recent years. The club was bought by local billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, with the funding being provided indirectly by the president of Dagestan, the region in which they are based and one of the most volatile and hostile regions on earth.

As a result UEFA deem it unsafe to host European football matches (one decision they got right?), so Anzhi play their European home games, including this one, 1,000 miles north in Moscow, at Lokomotiv Moscow’s 28,000 seater Lokomotiv Central Stadium – it’s at 107553, Moscow, Bolshaya Cherkizovskaya, 125 A if you’re going! Kick off time is 17.00 (UK time), and it’s on ITV4.

Anzhi also play their home league games in Moscow, but at the Dynamo Moscow Stadium.

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