Group F Kick-off 19-45 (BST)
Boosted by their unexpected win at the Camp Nou on Matchday 3, Rubin Kazan welcome European champions Barcelona for their second home game in Group F having already held Internazionale.
Goals in each half from Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz stunned the Champions League holders and, while Barca remain top of the group, all four teams are now separated by a single point at the halfway stage.
Rubin coach Kurban Berdyev summed up the mood in the camp of the Russian champions by saying: “We’re ready for a battle.”
“I don’t think that the team has changed psychologically since the win at Barcelona. The players are mentally strong; they know their quality and the strength of our opponents very well. Our aim is to show what we can do and a little bit more besides.
“We are ready for a battle. The pace will be faster than in Barcelona. Why? It’s simple: Josep’s Guardiola side is improving with every match.
“Draws in the Spanish league will not disturb Barcelona on Wednesday. The cold weather also shouldn’t be a problem for the visitors, players in top teams don’t need time to adapt for playing in such conditions.”
Barca director of football Txiki Begiristain admits his big concern ahead of tomorrow’s match is not their opponents, but the state of the playing surface at the Centralniy stadium, saying: ”If the pitch is OK then I’m calm. I believe we are the better team and the main thing is that the players warm up well.”
”I remember perfectly how I assessed the draw. I remember emphasising the difficulty of the away matches. It’s a very balanced group in every sense. Inter and Barca were the favourites and now we have to fight to qualify in two away matches.”
”Kazan work hard and have a good squad of players. We mustn’t forget that they are champions of their country and have a good budget.”
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.
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