Saturday, April 6, 2013

Rubin look to overturn Chelsea deficit - UEFA Europa League News - UEFA.com - UEFA.com (press release)

FC Rubin Kazan could yet oust the winners of both major 2011/12 UEFA club competitions, but the odds are stacked against them in their quarter-final decider against Chelsea FC.

• In the sides' first meeting in UEFA competition, Fernando Torres (16 & 70) scored the first and last goals of the night as Chelsea beat Rubin 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, Victor Moses (32) making it 2-0 to the Blues before Bebras Natcho (41) brought the visitors back into the tie from the penalty spot.

Previous meetings• This will be Rubin's fourth game against an English club, with all three previous encounters coming in the last two seasons. They previously lost 1-0 away and won 1-0 in Kazan against Chelsea's London rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Chelsea have won all five of their games against Russian sides (W3 D0 L0 at home – W2 D0 L0 away), conceding just twice in the process. Their last visit to the Luzhniki Stadium ended in a 2-0 win against FC Spartak Moskva in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage. However, they will have less fond memories of their trip to the same venue in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League final, which they lost on penalties to Manchester United FC.

Match background• Rubin have lost three times in their last 22 European home games (W10 D9 L3), with all three of those defeats coming in Moscow, where they had not scored in three games until they struck twice in extra time to eliminate Levante UD 2-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. They are 18 European games unbeaten in Kazan, including wins in the most recent five, during which they conceded only once.

• Chelsea have lost three of their last four European away games. Their six UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League away games have ended W2 D0 L4, with three of those defeats by two-goal margins.

• Having already eliminated UEFA Europa League winners Club Atlético de Madrid in the round of 32, Rubin would complete an unlikely double of ousting the holders of both of last season's major UEFA club competitions if they account for Chelsea.

• Three English teams – Chelsea, Newcastle United FC and Tottenham– have reached the last eight. In each of the previous two seasons in which a country has taken three clubs to the quarter-finals, one of that number has gone on to win the trophy – FC Porto (Portugal) in 2010/11 and Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain) in 2011/12 – beating opponents from their own country in the final.

• SL Benfica and Chelsea are the only sides left in the competition who transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage. They will be hoping to emulate the feat of inaugural winners Atlético, who won the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League after entering in the knockout phase

• Chelsea have played fewer UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League games than any other side left in the competition – just 13.

• Chelsea could become the first side to win UEFA's two top club competitions in reverse order in successive seasons.

• They could also become only the fourth side to win all three of UEFA's major club competitions, joining Juventus, AFC Ajax and FC Bayern München. Chelsea won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970/71 and 1997/98, and the UEFA Champions League last season.

Team facts• Rubin striker José Rondón is the second highest scorer left in the competition with five goals since the start of the group stage. S.S. Lazio's Libor Kozák tops the leaderboard with eight.

• Rondón and midfielders Pablo Orbaiz and Gökdeniz Karadeniz are the only players who have featured in all 11 of Rubin's games since the start of the group stage, although none have been on the pitch for every minute. Gökdeniz is the only player to have started all 11 games.

• Rubin winger Gökhan Töre was at Chelsea (2009–11). He helped the club's reserve team to win the English title, but never made a senior competitive appearance.

• Chelsea defender John Terry will make his 100th UEFA club competition appearance if he plays in Moscow. Team-mate Frank Lampard (113) has played in more UEFA club competition games than any player left in this season's UEFA Europa League, with Petr Čech (103) and Ashley Cole (102) his nearest rivals.

• Rafael Benítez moved into coaching at a young age after injury ended his career as a midfielder, taking charge of youth and reserve teams at Real Madrid CF. He led Valencia CF to two league titles and the 2003/04 UEFA Cup, and then won the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League with Liverpool FC. He coached FC Internazionale Milano briefly in 2010/11 and replaced Roberto Di Matteo as Chelsea manager in November 2012.

• Benítez's most recent UEFA Europa League experience came in 2009/10, when he led Liverpool to the semi-finals before defeat by eventual winners Atlético.

• Benítez has been in charge of 135 UEFA club competition games – more than any other coach in this season's quarter-finals.

• Benítez (Valencia CF 2003/04) and Tottenham's André Villas-Boas (Porto 2010/11) are the only coaches left in the competition who have won the trophy previously.

• Kurban Berdyev has been coach of Rubin since 2001, leading the club to successive Russian titles in 2008 and 2009 and a Russian Cup in 2012. Previously a defender and midfielder in the top Soviet league with SKA Rostov-na-Donu and FC Kairat Almaty, he coached teams in Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan before leading Rubin into Russia's top division.

• Chelsea's UEFA competition shoot-out record is W1 L2:W 4-3 (neutral) v FC Bayern München, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League finalL 5-6 (neutral) v Manchester United FC, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League finalL 1-4 (away) v Liverpool FC, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League semi-final

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