Chelsea are inching closer to winning a European trophy for a second year in a row, and already have one foot in the semifinal of the Europa League. Rubin Kazan looked like formidable opposition heading into the quarterfinal, but the Russian side was poor at Stamford Bridge, and has a lot of work to do to get back into this tie.
Rubin Kazan vs. Chelsea, 2013 UEFA Europa League: Preview and TV schedule
Don’t expect a Rubin Kazan comeback on Thursday. They’re not really adept at chasing games.
Clive Rose
They’re not exactly adept at chasing deficits, so it’ll take an utter collapse for Chelsea to avoid progression. While Rubin Kazan can keep clean sheets with the best of them, their goals usually come off exploiting the space that their opposition gives them when they’ve committed too many men forward. A Rafa Benitez side with a lead is unlikely to gift Rubin anything along these lines. However, Rubin’s away goal does give them a bit of hope.
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
Out: Demba Ba, Ashley Cole, Oriol Romeu, Gary Cahill, Ryan Bertrand.
Rubin Kazan injuries and suspensions
Out: None.
Rubin Kazan has a clean bill of health, which is excellent news considering that they were facing a tough enough task without any injuries. Chelsea are missing a host of players, especially at the back. Nathan Ake seems likely to start with all of the players that the Blues have missing.
Match date/time: Thursday, 9 pm local, 12 pm ET
Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
TV: FOX Soccer (U.S.), ESPN (U.K.), Sportsnet World (Canada), NTV Football (Russia)
More in Soccer:
See More:
