MX23RW : Friday, April 19 01:30:02| >> :60:2747:2747:

Preview: Rubin Kazan vs. Chelsea

Preview: Rubin Kazan vs. Chelsea
© AP Photos
Sports Mole previews Chelsea's Europa League trip to Russia to take on Rubin Kazan.

Russian outfit Rubin Kazan kept their hopes alive of reaching the Europa League semi-finals by scoring an away goal at Stamford Bridge last week.

They may have gone on to lose the match 3-1, but Bibras Natkho's penalty means that a 2-0 victory inside the Tsentralnyi Stadion on Thursday will see them advance at Chelsea's expense.

However, if Rubin are to progress, they will have to become the first Russian side to ever defeat the Blues. The English outfit have won all five of their encounters against teams from the Eastern European nation, conceding just two goals in the process.

As he has done so often this season, interim manager Rafael Benitez is likely to shuffle his squad around for this contest. Captain John Terry should be included, while Fernando Torres will lead the attack in the absence of the cup-tied Demba Ba.

Meanwhile, hosting Rubin could start with former Malaga centre-forward Salomon Rondon in attack.

Recent form

Rubin: WWDWLD

Chelsea: WLWWLW

Possible starting lineups

Rubin: Ryzhikov; Navas, Kuzmin, Kaleshin, Ansaldi; Sharonov, Orbaiz, Eremenko, Natcho; Dyadyun, Rondon

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Bertrand; Mikel, Lampard; Moses, Oscar, Mata; Torres

Sports Mole says: 2-1


ID:78623: cacheID:78623:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3152:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea captain John Terry celebrates a goal against Steaua Bucharest on March 14, 2013
Read Next:
Preview: Chelsea vs. Rubin Kazan
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!