Rubin Kazan vs FC Copenhagen preview - Kuzmin eyeing payback
Posted Wednesday, November 24, 2010 by PA
Rubin Kazan defender Oleg Kuzmin will be looking for revenge when his team attempts to keep their Champions League campaign alive against FC Copenhagen.
Rubin, who lost 1-0 in Copenhagen back in September, sit third in Group D, four points behind the second-placed Danish side, and need to win to have a chance of finishing in the top two.
Kuzmin knows better than most the size of the task that awaits his team-mates having been a member of the FC Moscow side which was eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Copenhagen over two legs in 2008.
The 29-year-old told rubin-kazan.ru: "If we compare Copenhagen two years ago and the present, I believe that today the Danes appear to be more powerful.
"During this time they've had time to play in European competition, to gain experience - (like) the last match against Barcelona, in which Copenhagen got a draw.
"That shows the team is constantly evolving."
Copenhagen are absolutely dominant in their domestic league, having won 14 and drawn three of their 17 matches so far to lead by 16 points.
Kuzmin said: "Copenhagen, like all Scandinavian teams, play power football with a lot of passes from wings.
"At the same time, this team is different from the others from their region because they're trying to pass it more.
"It's no coincidence that in the Danish league, Copenhagen are top by a large margin."
The incentive could not be stronger for Copenhagen as they know a win would see them into the knockout stages and also give them a chance of topping the group ahead of the mighty Barcelona.
They are unbeaten in five games in all competitions and are coming off a 2-1 win over Nordsjaelland.
They will be in for a cold night in Kazan though with temperatures well below freezing and a chance of snow.
Defender Mikael Antonsson, 29, said: "I tend not to get too cold in my legs, but we'll see how the weather is over there.
"But we're used to snow and ice, so it should certainly be no excuse."
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