Guardiola hopes to avoid Russian repeat

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola will hope to prevent history repeating when FC Rubin Kazan visit the Camp Nou for the clubs' first ever meeting. Guardiola was in the only Barça team to suffer a home defeat against Russian opposition – when PFC CSKA Moskva ended the then holders' reign in the 1992/93 UEFA Champions League.

• This time around, Barcelona went top in Group F after a home defeat of FC Dynamo Kyiv last time out having opened with a goalless draw at FC Internazionale Milano. Rubin, however, have plenty of work to do having lost 3-1 at Dynamo before a 1-1 draw with Inter.

Match background
• While this is Rubin's first match against a Spanish club, Barcelona have recorded three wins and one defeat in four previous home fixtures against Russian opponents.

• The holders' last match against Russian opposition was a UEFA Champions League first group stage meeting with FC Lokomotiv Moskva at Camp Nou on 23 October 2002.

• Frank de Boer scored the only goal for a team that included Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández. Víctor Valdés and Andrés Iniesta were on the Barcelona bench.

• The current coach and director of football at Camp Nou – Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain – were in the Barcelona side defeated by CSKA in the UEFA Champions League second round in 1992/93. Although Begiristain scored in both legs, Barcelona's 3-2 home loss ended their trophy defence, denying them a place in the group stage.

• Rubin did not compete in UEFA club competition before 2004. Outside of qualifying rounds and UEFA Intertoto Cup ties, they have played only two away games in European competition proper and lost both, going down to SK Rapid Wien in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup first round and then losing at FC Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 1.

Team ties
• Barcelona forward Thierry Henry had mixed fortunes against Russian clubs in the UEFA Champions League with former club Arsenal FC. He appeared against FC Spartak Moskva, Lokomotiv Moskva and CSKA, winning two, losing two and drawing two. He found the net once, in Arsenal's 1-0 home win against Spartak in the 2000/01 second group stage.

• Barcelona full-back Daniel Alves was in the Sevilla FC side that beat Lokomotiv home and away in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 32. He also made three trips to FC Zenit St. Petersburg with Sevilla, but never finished on the winning side.

• Rubin captain Sergei Semak suffered twice at the hands of Barcelona's Spanish internationals Iniesta, Puyol and Xavi at UEFA EURO 2008™. Semak's Russia side succumbed 4-1 to Spain in their opening group game and then 3-0 in the semi-final, where Xavi scored the first goal.

• Rubin's South African international Macbeth Sibaya suffered the same fate against Spain at this year's FIFA Confederations Cup. He lined up against Barcelona's Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué and Puyol as South Africa lost to the Spanish 2-0 in the group stage and 3-2 in the play-off for third place.

• César Navas began his career in Real Madrid CF's B team. He later played for Málaga CF, Catalonia's Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Real Racing Club Santander prior to joining Rubin earlier this year.

• One of Navas's final appearances for Racing came in a 2-1 home loss to Barcelona in February.