Rubin Kazan vs FC Barcelona Match Preview UEFA Champions League

Goals in each half from Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz stunned the UEFA Champions League holders in the first meeting between the teams

Rubin Kazan vs FC Barcelona Match Preview UEFA Champions League 04/11/2009

Rubin Kazan buoyed by their unexpected win at the Camp Nou Barcelona on Matchday 3, FC Rubin Kazan welcome European champions FC Barcelona for their second home game in Group F having already held FC Internazionale Milano in Russia.

• Goals in each half from Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz stunned the UEFA Champions League holders in the first meeting between the teams – and Rubin's first game against Spanish opposition – and, while Barça remain top of the section, all four teams are now separated by a single point at the halfway stage ahead of the reverse fixture at the Centralniy Stadium.

Match background
• While this is Rubin's first home match against a Spanish club, Barcelona have travelled to Russia four times before and returned unbeaten on each occasion, recording one victory and three draws.

• The holders' last game in Russia was a UEFA Champions League first group-stage meeting with FC Lokomotiv Moskva on 1 October 2002.

• Xavi Hernández, Carles Puyol and Víctor Valdés featured for a Barcelona side who won 3-1 through goals from Patrick Kluivert and Javier Saviola (2).

• The current coach and director of football at the Camp Nou – Josep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain respectively – were in the Barcelona side defeated by PFC CSKA Moskva in the UEFA Champions League second round in 1992/93. Although Begiristain scored in both legs, Barcelona's 3-2 home loss on 4 November 1992 ended their trophy defence, the 4-3 aggregate reverse denying them a place in the group stage.

• Rubin did not compete in Europe before 2004. Outside of qualifying rounds and UEFA Intertoto Cup ties, this is only their third home game in a UEFA club competition proper and they are still seeking a first win.

• Barcelona are unbeaten in seven away matches in the UEFA Champions League, including the goalless draw at Inter on Matchday 1.

Team ties
• Rubin captain Sergei Semak twice finished on the losing side against Barcelona's Spanish internationals Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Carles Puyol at UEFA EURO 2008™. Semak's Russia side succumbed 4-1 to Spain in their opening group game and then 3-0 in the semi-final, where Xavi scored the first goal.

• Rubin's South African international Macbeth Sibaya suffered the same fate against Spain at this year's FIFA Confederations Cup. He lined up against Barcelona's Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué and Puyol as South Africa lost to the Spanish 2-0 in the group stage and 3-2 in the play-off for third place.

• Barcelona forward Thierry Henry had mixed fortunes against Russian clubs in the UEFA Champions League with former club Arsenal FC. He appeared against FC Spartak Moskva, Lokomotiv Moskva and CSKA, winning two, losing two and drawing two. He found the net once, in Arsenal's 1-0 home win against Spartak in the 2000/01 second group stage.

• Barcelona full-back Daniel Alves was in the Sevilla FC side that beat Lokomotiv home and away in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 32. He also made three trips to FC Zenit St. Petersburg with Sevilla, but never finished on the winning side.

• César Navas began his career in Real Madrid CF's B team. He later played for Málaga CF, Catalonia's Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Real Racing Club Santander prior to joining Rubin earlier this year.

• One of Navas's final appearances for Racing came in a 2-1 home loss to Barcelona in February






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