København cautious for Rubin visit

FC København and FC Rubin Kazan, who are each kicking off their second UEFA Champions League campaigns, come face to face on the opening night of Group D action.

• The champions of Denmark and Russia – who both successfully defended the titles they had claimed the previous year – have won a place at Europe's top table on one previous occasion. The Russian side first featured 12 months ago in a memorable debut campaign in which they produced a remarkable 2-1 win at holders FC Barcelona, the Spanish giants who are again in the same section as the Russian team. Rubin followed that with a goalless draw in the return to enhance their reputation as a surprise package in last year's competition.

• København were previously involved in 2006/07, when they finished bottom of Group F with seven points.

Previous meetings
• The teams have never met before and only København have faced opposition from the other's country. In three meetings they have registered two wins – both away from home – against FC Moskva in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup first round, and FC Lokomotiv Moskva in the previous season's UEFA Cup group stage. Their only home fixture – the return leg against Moskva – ended 1-1.

Match background
• FCK reached this stage with an away-goals triumph in the play-offs against Rosenborg BK after the aggregate scores finished 2-2. The Danish side won the second leg in Copenhagen 1-0 thanks to Sölvi Ottesen's header, thus putting paid to the Norwegian team's 31-match unbeaten run in 2010.

• It was another tight affair in the third qualifying round as FC BATE Borisov were defeated 3-2 in the Danish capital after the first leg had ended 0-0.

• The Camp Nou triumph was the highlight for Rubin of their debut UEFA Champions League season and their only victory. Their other two away games – against FC Dynamo Kyiv (1-3) and FC Internazionale Milano (0-2) – both ended in defeat while all three home fixtures were drawn. Switching to the UEFA Europa League they then drew 0-0 at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC, winning 3-0 on aggregate, and lost 2-1 at VfL Wolfsburg for a 3-2 overall defeat.

• In their 2006/07 UEFA Champions League campaign København lost two of their first three games, drawing 0-0 at home to SL Benfica, and failed to find the net until Matchday 4 when they beat Manchester United FC 1-0 in Copenhagen. They went on to win their final home match, 3-1 against Celtic FC, but lost out to Benfica for third position and a UEFA Cup place.

• In last season's UEFA Europa League, København won two and drew the other of their home games in the group stage but in the round of 32 a 3-1 defeat in the home leg against Olympique Marseille paved the way for a 6-2 loss overall.

Team ties
• Rubin defender Oleg Kuzmin played against København for Moskva in that 2008/09 UEFA Cup first round tie.

• Rubin newcomer Carlos Eduardo (2007) and København striker César Santin (in 2002) have both played for Brazilian side Grêmio Foot-ball Porto Alegrense.