Rubin and Wolfsburg vie for all-time high

The reigning Russian and German champions meet in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, with Kurban Berdyev's FC Rubin Kazan and VfL Wolfsburg, led by stand-in coach Lorenz-Günther Kostner, enjoying unprecedented European success.

Previous meetings
• This will be the first encounter between the two clubs.

• Rubin have never previously crossed paths with a German outfit, while Wolfsburg's only experience of Russian opposition came earlier this season in the UEFA Champions League group stage, when they beat PFC CSKA Moskva 3-1 at home before losing 2-1 in Moscow.

Match background
• Rubin's eight European contests this season have earned them the record W2 D4 L2, those figures including a remarkable 2-1 UEFA Champions League group-stage success at FC Barcelona and three goalless draws.

• Rubin are unbeaten in six European home outings (two victories and four draws) since losing 1-0 to Parma FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup first round. Prior to this season, reaching the first round of that competition had represented their most substantial achievement on the continental stage.

• Wolfsburg's presence in the round of 16 constitutes an improvement on last season's all-time high, when they were eliminated in the UEFA Cup round of 32.

• Wolfsburg have triumphed in only one of their eight UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League away games to date, beating SC Braga 3-2 in last season's group stage. Their overall record in those matches reads W1 D4 L3, while their tally in four UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League away fixtures this season reads W1 D1 L2.

Team facts
• Russian and German sides have met in 80 previous UEFA club competition games, with the Bundesliga boasting 34 wins to 28 and the 18 remaining matches ending in draws.

• Germany and Russia have met six times in their present forms, with Germany winning on five occasions and the other match producing a stalemate. Their only meeting before the advent of the Soviet Union came at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, when Germany prevailed 16-0.

• Rubin's Sergei Semak played in Russia's 2-1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat in Germany.

• Semak and team-mate Petr Bystrov came up against Wolfsburg's Ashkan Dejagah when FC Moskva met Hertha BSC Berlin in a 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup third-round tie, which the German side won 2-0 on aggregate.

• Wolfsburg are one of three German clubs in the last 16, along with Werder Bremen and final hosts Hamburger SV. The Bundesliga boasts the most UEFA Europa League contenders at this stage. Rubin are the only Russian outfit left in the competition.

• Rubin are the least experienced team still in UEFA Europa League contention with 18 European matches under their belts. Having disputed 46 encounters, Wolfsburg are the third least experienced club left in the competition.

• Rubin warmed up for the first leg by claiming their maiden Russian Super Cup title with a 1-0 win against CSKA on 7 March.

• The tie concludes at the VfL Wolfsburg Arena on 18 March. The draw for the quarter-finals will be staged the following day.