Copenhagen have lived on the margins, but they’ve done just enough to qualify for the Champions League and will open up their group stage campaign with a difficult looking home fixture against reigning Russian champions Rubin Kazan.
Drafted into the competition at the third round stage of qualifying, the Danes were pitted against BATE of Belarus. After a scoreless draw in the former Soviet state, Stale Solbakken’s men raced into a 2-0 advantage at Parken before blowing it prior to the interval. Staring at a defeat on away goals, the Danish champions had Dame N'Doye to thanks for their progress as it was he who struck on the hour mark to send them through.
Against Rosenborg in the play-off round, the margins were even tighter. RBK commanded a 2-1 lead going into the second leg, but a late goal from Jesper Gronkjaer proved far more than a mere consolation as it combined with Solvi Ottesen’s strike in the Danish capital to power Copenhagen through to the group stage.
With eight Super League matches played domestically, Copenhagen already command a healthy five point advantage at the summit of the table, though they have played an additional game in comparison to the chasing pack. A 2-2 draw with Silkeborg at the weekend was hardly ideal preparation for this fixture, but Rubin Kazan really are the main event of the week.
Much To Achieve
Rubin Kazan may be about to lose their Russian crown to Zenit St. Petersburg, but they still have much to play for before their domestic season ends as the harsh winter gets a grip on the country. Gurban Berdiyew’s side must ensure that they’re involved in the competition again in the next campaign while concurrently waging a war to progress through to the knock-out stages of this year’s edition.
Primarily a defensively focussed side, Rubin have lost only eight goals in their 20 RPL fixtures to date, a figure that cannot be bettered by any side in the league on a goals-per-game basis. Nevertheless, their tally of just 24 goals for is rather mediocre and is testament to a shift away from the more offensive side of 2009.
The Tatarstan outfit made quite a splash in their first season of Champions League football, despite ultimately being eliminated from the top tier competition in the group stage. Drawn cruelly against defending champions Barcelona and title-winners in waiting Inter, Rubin matched their opponents almost blow-for-blow, claiming a historic victory over Barca in Camp Nou and giving themselves a chance of progression until the very last day.
Hostilities with la Blaugrana will be resumed over the course of the next three months, and with Panathinaikos posing the other problem for the Russians, they’ll be keen to start with a victory over the team who look like being the pool’s weakest side. Comfortable 3-0 victors over Amkar Perm at the weekend, confidence should be high.
TEAM NEWS
Copenhagen
Christian Bolanos debuted at the weekend on the right flank but is liable to cede his place to the more experienced Jesper Gronkjaer.
Morten Nordstrand, who was operated upon six weeks ago, is back in training but isn’t expected in the first team for a good period yet. He will be the only absentee in the home ranks. Club captain Hjalte Norregaard is fit again.
Probable Starting XI: Wiland; Pospech, Ottesen, Antonson, Wendt; Vingaard, Kvist, Claudemir, Gronkjaer; N’Doye, Santin
Rubin Kazan
Salvatore Bocchetti looks likely to start after coming off the bench against Amkar Perm and nearly scoring with his first touch of the game.
Aleksandr Ryazantsev is liable to be ruled out but a press conference on Monday evening will confirm his injury status, while experienced Turkey international Gokdeniz Karadeniz looks set to be left out to ensure that three Russians are on the field.
Rubin vary between a 4-4-1-1 and a 4-4-2 formation, and Obafemi Martins will only start if it is the latter of these two systems selected.
Cesar Navas is banned.
Probable Starting XI: Ryzhikov; Kuzmin, Orekhov, Bocchetti, Ansaldi; Kasaev, Noboa, Eduardo, Gorbanets; Medvedev, Martins
Prediction
Winning away from home in Europe is never an easy trick, though Rubin Kazan did so spectacularly in Barcelona last season. Equally, they lost to Dynamo Kyiv and Milan on their travels, so the RPL outfit certainly won’t take the midweek trip to Denmark for granted. They should have just a little too much class for their opponents, and will run out narrow victors in a tightly contested game.
Copenhagen 0-1 Rubin 
