Garde aims to keep Lyon run going

New Olympique Lyonnais coach Rémi Garde is aiming to steer his charges to a 12th successive appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage as the Ligue 1 side welcome a FC Rubin Kazan team eager to make it a hat-trick of appearances at Europe's top table.

Previous meetings
• This is Rubin's first meeting with any French team while Lyon's only previous experience of Russian opposition came against FC Spartak Moskva in the second group stage of the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League – they won 3-0 at home and drew 1-1 away.

Match background
• Lyon have lost only twice in their last 18 European home fixtures, with FC Bayern München their conquerors both times. The German side won 3-2 at the Stade de Gerland in the 2008/09 group stage and 3-0 in the 2009/10 semi-finals.

• Rubin's 2-0 victory at FC Dynamo Kyiv in the third qualifying round ended a seven-game wait for a European away win since they stunned FC Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Lyon have competed in every UEFA Champions League group stage since 2000/01, their most successful campaign coming in 2009/10 when they got as far as the semi-finals before going down 4-0 on aggregate to Bayern.

• Lyon's women's team eclipsed that achievement by winning the 2010/11 UEFA Women's Champions League final in London, beating 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 2-0 after losing on penalties to the same opponents in the previous season's decider.

• Lyon have featured in UEFA Champions League qualifying on three occasions. They were denied a group-stage place by NK Maribor in 1999/2000, losing 3-0 over two legs, but subsequently beat FK Senica (2000/01, agg: 4-2) and RSC Anderlecht (2009/10, agg: 8-2).

• Rubin are bidding to return to the group stage for a third successive season, having entered the competition as Russian champions in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

• This is Kurban Berdyev's side's first tilt at UEFA Champions League qualifying. They made an excellent start in the third qualifying round, beating Dynamo 2-0 away and 2-1 at home in a much-heralded Russia v Ukraine tie.

• Appointed in 2001, Berdyev has overseen all of Rubin's matches in European competition since they made their continental debut in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds.

• Lyon coach Garde is taking charge of his first European fixture. The 45-year-old, who replaced Claude Puel in the summer, was a defender for Lyon, RC Strasbourg and Arsenal FC.

Team ties
• Lyon forward Lisandro scored his first and so far only goal for Argentina in a 3-2 friendly win against Russia in Moscow on 12 August 2009.

• Kim Källström faced Russia in Sweden's 2-0 defeat at UEFA EURO 2008, a result that confirmed his country's elimination.

• Michel Bastos has played alongside Rubin's Carlos Eduardo for the Brazil national team.