Will Inter really struggle on the Luzhniki Stadium pitch?

There is an interesting post over at the reliably informative 101GG today, looking ahead to the week’s Champions League action – in particular, Inter Milan’s return leg against CSKA Moscow. The guys at 101GG think that there is a good chance of an upset – partly down to Inter’s form, but also partly down the infamous Luzhniki Stadium pitch, known to most of us as one of the few “Plastic Pitches” used for top level games.

While I’m not doubting Inter’s poor form (although they got a big win over the weekend) as they charitably offer the Italian people some kind of title race – I am doubting just what kind of effect the so called Plastic Pitch will actually have.

It seems that pretty much any time anyone plays at the Luzhniki Stadium, people start to throw a wobbly about the pitch. And alright, it is a bit different to playing on natural grass – but playing away from home is always going to be a slight disadvantage, and it should be something the Inter players can cope with.

Recently Germany were warned about the horrors of the artificial surface before their qualifier for the 2010 World Cup. They won 1-0.
England famously lost there in the qualifying for the 2008 European Championships, but using the pitch as an excuse would have been cowardly – England just looked poor.

The pitch is a Fifa approved pitch (although saying something is Fifa approved isn’t exactly a sign of quality, obviously) and is in place because of the Russian winters, so they don’t have to completely replace the grass every five minutes. The 2008 Champions League Final was played at the Luzhniki, but a real pitch was put in place for that game.

But Inter are a group of professionals, and I think its fair to say – even without their 1-0 lead going in to the second leg – favourites to advance. I’d be really, really surprised if someone as canny as Jose Mourinho (much as he clearly hates it in Italy) let something like the fact that the pitch isn’t made of real grass get in the way of a Champions League semi-final. Inter might not win, but I doubt it will be the grass that is the deciding factor.

Some Related Stories:

Category: Champions League