Wolfsburg look to build on Rubin draw

The German champions may feel they have the edge over their Russian counterparts as VfL Wolfsburg go into the decisive leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie against FC Rubin Kazan fortified by a 1-1 draw in Russia.

• Christian Noboa put the hosts ahead 29 minutes into the clubs' first competitive meeting, but Zvjezdan Misimović scored an excellent equaliser (67) to leave the Tatarstan side needing to score at least once in Germany to progress.

Previous meetings
• Rubin had 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
• 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's home record over their last two European seasons reads W5 D1 L2, Paris Saint-Germain FC and Manchester United FC both earning 3-1 wins at the VfL Wolfsburg Arena.

• Rubin's nine European contests this season have earned them the record W2 D5 L2, those figures including a remarkable 2-1 UEFA Champions League group-stage success at FC Barcelona and three goalless draws.

• Rubin's record in nine away games making since their European debut in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup is W4 D1 L4.

• Prior to this season, reaching the UEFA Cup first round had represented Rubin's most substantial achievement on the continental stage.

Team facts
• Russian and German sides have met in 81 previous UEFA club competition games, with the Bundesliga boasting 34 wins to 28 defeats and the 19 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.

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

• Semak and 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 19 European matches under their belts. Having played in 47 games, Wolfsburg are the third least experienced club left in the competition.

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

• The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be staged at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday 19 March. There is no country protection.

Penalties
• Neither Wolfsburg and Rubin have been involved in a European penalty shoot-out.