
Louis van Gaal's 20-strong Manchester United squad departed for Russia on Tuesday afternoon ahead of their Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow.

Van Gaal is taking two extra men as back up to ensure his 18-man squad for the match at Arena Khimki on Wednesday night is fit and well following their four-hour flight from Manchester Airport.

Dressed in dark uniform blazers featuring a club crest that combines symbols of pride in their local community and the club along with their customary red ties, United were sent off by devoted supporters ahead of their bid for a second Group B victory.

Ander Herrera (left) and David de Gea speak as they work their way through the departure lounge at Manchester Airport on Tuesday

Louis van Gaal is wished will by fans as Manchester United set off for Russia ahead of Wednesday's clash with CSKA Moscow

Wayne Rooney is bound for Moscow, the city in which he won the 2008 Champions League final, along with new man Memphis Depay

UNITED’S CLUB CREST EXPLAINED The crest you see embroidered onto Manchester United’s suit jackets was usually only seen during major events - such as the FA Cup Final in 1963 and the European Cup Final in 1968. Based on the coat of arms of Manchester City Council, the ship represents the Manchester Ship Canal. The three diagonal stripes signify the three rivers that flow through the city: the Irwell, the Irk and the Medlock. The globe at the very top is dotted with a number of bees – a nod towards the city’s part in the industrial revolution – as bees are known for their industrious reputations. The antelope on the left wears a gold chain – to symbolise engineering feats and the lion a castle crown – to acknowledge the Roman fort of Castlefield, where the city originally grew from. Both animals wear the red rose, the official symbol of Lancashire. The Latin inscription along the bottom ‘Consilio et Labore’ translates roughly as ‘Wisdom and Effort’. The phrase also has another popular adaptation for players to take on board: 'Think about the consequences of your work before beginning it'. Advertisement

The 18 players who completed a convincing 3-0 demolition of Everton on Saturday all boarded the flight to the Russian capital, where they'll face freezing conditions on Wednesday evening.

They are still without Ashley Young, who has a calf injury, while Paddy McNair is still out after suffering a ruptured liver and James Wilson has a bug, Van Gaal confirms.

'It's the same amount of injuries so Luke Shaw, Paddy McNair and Ashley Young are not going with us,' United manager Van Gaal told MUTV .

'Willo was a little bit ill - Wilson as he is named but, for us, it is Willo - so he shall not travel with us. I'll take 20 players with me. It's a four-hour flight so, if a player gets ill, I have the other player in my environment.'

Sergio Romero and Antonio Valencia have joined the squad for the trip adding to the 18 who took the short trip to Merseyside.

'Of course that was the reason [Romero and Valencia were absent at Everton]. They have to cope with the jet lag so I didn't think it was wise to take them with us against Everton.'

Should Valencia see any game time, he will surely have October 2009 in the back of his mind when he provided the 86th-minute winner for United in the first meeting of the two sides in Russia.

The return leg a month later was a thriller too, with Valencia in the action again back scoring the 92nd-minute equaliser as United came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at Old Trafford.

For Michael Carrick the trip is a special one, as it sees the midfielder return to the city in which he says his greatest career triumph took place when Manchester United visit CSKA Moscow on Wednesday.

The midfielder stands only with Wayne Rooney as a survivor of Sir Alex Ferguson's United side that beat Chelsea in a penalty shootout to claim the 2008 Champions League title at Luzhniki Stadium.

While this week's match in Group B is at the Arena Khimki, a significantly smaller base than CSKA's former home at the scene of that triumph, the memories come flooding back for Carrick.

'I feel, for me, it's by far my greatest achievement so far and the best feeling I have ever had was in Moscow,' Carrick told Inside United.

'It's a special place for me and everybody else who has got such great memories from there. But it's a tough place to go to play against CSKA. It won't be easy and it's quite a long journey with tough conditions but we'll look forward to it.'

Antonia Valencia, added to the 18-man squad that beat Everton 3-0 on Saturday, is the scourge of CSKA having scored key goals in 2009

Valencia (left) celebrates his 86th-minute winner against CSKA Moscow in October 2009's Champions League with Michael Owen

Valencia then produced the equaliser in time added on to secure a 3-3 draw a month later in November 2009 against the Russian giants

Ander Herrera, who come into form and was on the scoresheet at the weekend against Everton, gives a thumbs on his way through

Defenders Phil Jones (left) and Marcos Rojo are both back from injuries and impressed for Van Gaal in their win over the Toffees

Carrick played a significant role in their 2008 victory, marshalling the midfield with Paul Scholes and lasting the full 120 minutes before slotting his penalty kick in the dramatic shootout.

Up second for United after Carlos Tevez put his effort away, Carrick sent Petr Cech the wrong way and rippled the back of the net with conviction.

The shootout went to sudden death after Ronaldo's limp effort was saved by the now Arsenal stopper Cech before John Terry slipped and fired his shot into the post and wide.

When Van der Sar famously pointed to his left and correctly picked Nicolas Anelka's strike to his right, United's third top prize for European club football was confirmed.

Ryan Giggs, now assistant manager, and Rooney, United's captain, both return to where they beat Chelsea for Europe's top club prize

Daley Blind, who will be keen to put the disappointment of Holland's Euro 2016 qualifying campaign behind him, signs autographs for fans

Juan Mata will be looking to be the key that unlocks unbeaten-at-home CSKA's defence while Sergio Romero provides back-up for De Gea

Louis van Gaal's assistant Ryan Giggs was also there that night, an 87th-minute substitute for Paul Scholes and United's seventh and final penalty taker.

The stakes aren't anywhere near as high this time in the Russian capital, but CSKA will be a tough proposition for United in a group in which each team has a win and a loss so far.

Both sides won last time out, with CSKA beating PSV Eindhoven 3-2 and United coming from behind to overcome Wolfsburg 2-1 at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick (right) says Moscow is the site for his 'greatest achievement' as a Manchester United player

United prepare to jet off to Moscow, where they won the 2008 Champions League final, on Tuesday

Wayne Rooney (left) and Carrick are the only two remaining Red Devils from that triumphant 2008 side

A star-studded United side beat Chelsea in a penalty shootout to claim their third European title

Carrick leaps on the shoulders of Mikael Silvestre (right) and Darren Fletcher as they celebrate their win

Carrick, who played 120 minutes and slotted his penalty, raises the Champions League trophy aloft in Moscow

Carrick says the Moscow win was 'by far my greatest achievement' and 'the best feeling I have ever had'

United have the added challenge of a Manchester derby against table-topping City on Sunday to contend with.

'That is what the Champions League throws up,' says Carrick. 'You have got big league games the weekend straight after and that is something you have got to adapt to. We have certainly got the squad to accommodate that.'