The Argentine left-back Angelo Martino was included in the official group of the „reds“ for today's second leg of the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
The news surprised many, as until recently the defender was considered a firm out of the accounts of head coach Hristo Yanev.
Martino was forced to leave the field with an injury during Sunday's championship match against Septemvri Sofia in the efbet League. The injury prevented him from participating in the last official training session at the club's base in Pancharevo, which took place on Wednesday evening. However, the team's doctors did everything possible to restore him, and the final decision on whether he will start as a starter or remain on the bench will be made immediately before the match.
CSKA is chasing a new triumph in front of the packed “Vasil Levski“
“The“Army“ enter the second leg with a solid lead, after achieving a decisive 3:0 victory in the first match, played in Batumi (Georgia). Despite the lead, Hristo Yanev called for full concentration:
“The fact that we have a good result from the first match should not calm us down. We need to do the things we were good at and correct the weaknesses.“
The National Stadium “Vasil Levski“ is expected to become a real boiling cauldron. Over 15,000 tickets have been sold so far, and forecasts indicate that nearly 25,000 fans will support the Bulgarian Eurofighter. Before the start of the match, the club is also organizing the traditional “Army Afternoon“ with a number of activities and fan surprises.
The match between CSKA and Maccabi Tel Aviv starts tonight at 9:00 PM at the National Stadium “Vasil Levski“ in Sofia and will be led by German referee Daniel Schlager. If successful in the playoff phase to enter the groups of the tournament, CSKA will face the winner of the Greek Cup – OFI Crete.