Rovers host Rubin on group stage debut
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Article summary
Shamrock Rovers FC make their UEFA Europa League group stage debut against a FC Rubin Kazan side who have become used to life in the UEFA Champions League in recent seasons.
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Shamrock Rovers FC will break new ground for Irish football as they make their UEFA Europa League group stage debut against FC Rubin Kazan, who played in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the last two seasons.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition. It is Rovers' first game against Russian opponents and Rubin's first experience of Irish opposition.
• Indeed, this is only the third meeting between Irish and Russian club sides in UEFA competition history. FC Torpedo Moskva beat Cork City FC 5-0 at home and 1-0 away in the 1989/90 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, then Rovers' Dublin rivals Saint Patrick's Athletic FC eliminated PFC Krylya Sovetov Samara from the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round on away goals, winning 1-0 in Ireland before a 3-2 bittersweet loss in Samara.
Match background
• The 2-1 extra-time win at FK Partizan that earned Rovers a group stage berth ended a four-game wait for a win in Europe; the only one of their six UEFA competition matches this season that they won over 90 minutes was a 1-0 against FC Flora in the second qualifying round first leg. They have also recorded two draws and as many defeats.
• That win against Flora is their only victory in six European home games, with the other five fixtures producing two draws and three defeats (including a 2-0 loss to Juventus in last season's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg).
• Rubin have won just one of their last nine European away games (W1 D3 L5 in that spell), beating FC Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in this season's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg.
Team facts
• A semi-professional side, Rovers will look for guidance from their manager Michael O'Neill, who made 33 senior appearances for Northern Ireland, and played UEFA club competition games for Coleraine FC, Dundee United FC and Glentoran FC. He also played for English clubs like Newcastle United FC and Coventry City FC.
• Kurban Berdyev has been coach of Rubin since 2001, with the Turkmenistan-born boss leading them to Russian titles in 2008 and 2009. Rubin captain Roman Sharonov once said of his serious-minded boss: "He has football in his mind 24 hours a day. If I thought about football that much I would probably lose my mind."
