Rubin Kazan vs Olympiakos

February 13, 2012
By: John Hansen

One of the most interesting ties of the Europa League last 32 stage will see Rubin Kazan and Olympiakos battle for the place in the last 16. The Russian side had plenty of time to prepare for this game as there is currently a winter break in the Russian Premier League, whereas the Greeks hope their opponents will be rusty after two months without competitive action.

Great performances at Marbella Cup

After the impressive double victory over Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round, Rubin Kazan fell at the final hurdle, as they were eliminated by French giants Lyon. The Russian side quickly regrouped and managed to win the second place in Europa League Group A, leaving Tottenham trailing in their wake. The club from Tatarstan ended the first part of the Russian Premier League campaign on a high, winning derby games against CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Mosow before going on a winter break. Meanwhile, the club managed to hold on to coach Kurban Berdyev as the chiefs rejected his resignation, but they did stay without Christian Noboa, Igor Lebedenko, Jordi Figueiras and Walter Chala. Rubin, nonetheless, impressed at the Marbella Cup, beating Zestafoni (5-1), Lech (3-1) and Dynamo Kiev (2-1) to win the coveted trophy. Kurban Berdyev’s side thus showed they were completely ready for the clash with Olympiakos and the hosts are now hoping to create an advantage before the return leg in Athens.

First choice keeper Sergei Ryzhikov is suspended, but his replacement Giedrius Arlauskis did really well at the Marbella Cup, proving he is ready to deputize for his colleague.

Olympiakos flying high

The Greek giants made it to Champions League group stage by winning the league title last term, and they did well to win the third place in the group with Arsenal, Marseille and Borussia Dortmund. After winning their last two group games against Marseille and Arsenal, the Greeks looked set to make it to knockout stages, but the French side beat them to it by scoring two late goals to record a victory over Borussia. Olympiakos didn’t waste too much time looking back on the missed opportunity, but they rather continued the rich vein of form by winning 14 of their last 16 games in all competitions, conceding just 2 goals in last 9 games. Coach Ernesto Valverde secured the signings of Roy Carroll and Colin Kazim-Richards, but the two players have yet to show they have what it takes to earn a starting berth. The Spanish coach is expected to adopt a cautious approach in Russia, as he is well aware of the fact that his side are a real force to be reckoned with at their Karaiskaki.

Avram Papadopoulos, Ljubomir Fejsa and Diogo continue to miss out, but that shouldn’t be too big a problem for the visitors.

Verdict

The game will be played at Luzhniki Stadium is Moscow, where both sides are likely to face freezing conditions, so I guess we can rule out high-scoring game. Both sides boast rock-solid defences and with Berdyev and Valverde expected to adopt defence-minded approach, so under 2.5 goals looks like the best option here.

Our prediction: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.70 (7/10)

Bookmaker: Stan James

We Highly Recommend These Places
Share your Opinion!