Time running out for Rubin and Panathinaikos

FC Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos FC took only one point between them from their first two games and, having shared a goalless draw in Athens on Matchday 3, know time is short as they seek to kick-start their UEFA Champions League Group D campaign.

• The Russian side have two points from three matches, one more than their Greek opponents, although they trail second-placed FC København by four points with section leaders FC Barcelona a further point ahead.

Match background
• The Athens game on Matchday 3 was the first between the sides and the first time Rubin had faced a team from Greece in UEFA competition.

• That Rubin game aside, Panathinaikos have had one previous encounter with Russian opposition – a UEFA Cup group stage match against FC Lokomotiv Moskva in Athens on 5 December 2007 which they won 2-0. Dimitris Salpingidis scored both goals in a decisive five-minute spell in the second period.

• Rubin, in their second UEFA Champions League campaign, gave themselves a lift on Matchday 2 when they once again refused to yield to Barcelona, holding the 2009 winners to a 1-1 draw in Russia with Christian Noboa and David Villa swapping penalties in either half. Two weeks earlier Rubin had gone down 1-0 at København.

• The Russian side drew all three home games in last season's group stage, holding FC Internazionale Milano 1-1 before the games against Barcelona and FC Dynamo Kyiv both finished goalless.

• Rubin lost their first two home games in UEFA competition, to SK Rapid Wien and Parma FC in the UEFA Cups of 2004/05 and 2006/07 respectively, but are unbeaten in their last nine matches at the Centralni Stadium, although they have won only three.

• Panathinaikos had been unable to replicate Rubin's resistance in Barcelona in the opening fixture, slipping to a 5-1 defeat despite opening the scoring through Sidney Govou. More disappointment followed on Matchday 2 as two first-half goals from København consigned the Greek champions to a second defeat. Former Greens player Dame N'Doye opened the scoring in Athens and Panathinaikos also had captain Gilberto Silva sent off.

• The Greek team lost both away games in UEFA Champions League qualifying last season but won three of their five away matches in the UEFA Europa League – although they lost the other two.

Team ties
• Giourkas Seitaridis joined FC Dinamo Moskva from FC Porto in the summer of 2005. He stayed for 18 months, playing in eight league games.

• Roman Sharonov played for Russia in their group fixture against Greece at UEFA EURO 2004 and came up against both Seitaridis and Kostas Katsouranis. Russia beat the eventual champions 2-1.

• Giorgos Karagounis and Obafemi Martins were team-mates with FC Internazionale Milano between 2003 and 2005.