Yaya Toure has urged his Manchester City team-mates to adapt their game to the testing conditions when they take on CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
City have taken three points from their first two European encounters this term and are looking to bounce back from a 3-1 home defeat to champions Bayern Munich last time out.
But they will have to cope with a pitch at the Arena Khimki that has been described as “unbelievable” by City boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Heavy rain and too many games ruined the surface in the early part of the season and CSKA have been forced to play their home matches at another venue for almost two months.
City officials thought that they would face the Russians away from their home ground but it was passed fit by UEFA a fortnight ago and the game will be staged there.
The playing surface has only a thin covering of grass and is sandy and uneven in places, which will negate the superior skill level in the Premier League side’s ranks.
But Toure has seen it all before and the Ivory Coast international feels the City stars will just have to put it out of their minds and get on with the job in hand.
“For us, you have to play on pitches with problems. I don’t have any problem with that,” he said.
“In Africa we have worse pitches. Most of all we have to do our best to try to win this game.”
City and CSKA are locked together on three points and, with Bayern already looking like group winners, the match in Moscow and return tie at the Etihad Stadium on November 5 will probably determine which club joins the Bavarians in the last 16 of the competition.
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