Jurgen Klopp will travel 2,500 miles with his Liverpool team to the Republic of Tatarstan to search for their first Group B win in the Europa League.
The Reds will face Rubin Kazan at the brand new Kazan Arena on Thursday a fortnight after they were held to a draw by their opponents.
Rubin Kazan
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Rubin may be at the bottom of Group B with just two points, but if their previous outing against Liverpool was anything to go by, then they can be a stubborn side to get a result from.
Marko Devic stunned the Anfield crowd by taking the lead inside the first 15 minutes, but Emre Can was able to equalise for the hosts eight minutes before the half-time whistle.
From that point on, many believed that Liverpool would go on to win, especially after Oleg Kuzmin was sent off for a second bookable offence, but it was not to be as Rubin managed to hold on to a 1-1 draw.
On Thursday, Valeri Chaly's side have the advantage of having a home crowd to support them, and while they will be playing at the brand new Kazan stadium, they are unbeaten on home turf in Europe this season following a win and two draws.
Being at the bottom of the standings may not be too worrying for the team as they have managed to reach the first stage of knockout rounds in all three of their previous Europa League campaigns.
Only two points separate them from leaders Sion, and considering that Liverpool have not managed to claim a win yet in this tournament, Rubin will have hope that they can fight to a top-two finish.
In the Russian Premier League, Rubin have had a mixed bag of results having recorded two wins and two defeats in their last four domestic fixtures, but they head into Thursday's match on the back of a 2-1 triumph over Anzhi Makhachkala.
Recent form: LDD
Recent form (all competitions): DLWDLW
Liverpool
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Following on from the last time that Liverpool played in the Europa League, the mood was not as bright as it had been once Klopp was confirmed as manager.
The team had picked up yet another draw when they took on Rubin at Anfield, but there is a completely different atmosphere heading into the return fixture this week.
Klopp claimed his first Premier League win at the weekend when Philippe Coutinho and Christian Benteke contributed to a 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It was a convincing performance from the Reds, who took advantage of a team who have managed only three wins in the top flight just one season after winning the league title.
While the Europa League is arguably secondary in importance compared to domestic matters for most Premier League teams, Liverpool could do with putting out a decent team in a bid to qualify for the round of 32.
The Merseyside outfit are currently second in Group B, just one point adrift of Sion, who will take on third-placed Bordeaux this week.
In their last two Europa League campaigns, the Reds managed to progress past the group stages in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons.
A positive for Liverpool is that they are unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions.
Recent form: DDD
Recent form (all competitions): DDDDWW
Team News
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Klopp has shown that he is willing to throw some young talent in the mix as he did so when Liverpool took on Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup last week, but in order to gain their first win in the Europa League, the German coach could opt for more experienced personnel.
Benteke is still working his way back to fitness, but his cameo against Chelsea was an impressive one and he could be handed the main striker role in Thursday's starting XI.
Joe Allen and Dejan Lovren may enter the midfield and defence respectively, while Roberto Firmino could start in place of Adam Lallana as Coutinho's brace against the Blues is likely to reward him with a start.
For the hosts, the team will be without Kuzmin as he serves a suspension for getting sent off in the match at Anfield, which is a big blow to the side.
Rubin Kazan possible starting lineup:
Ryzhikov; Cotugno, Kverkvelia, Kambolov, Nabiullin; Carlos Eduardo, Ozdoev, Gokdeniz Karadeniz, Georgiev; Devic, Kanunnikov
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno; Allen, Can, Milner; Firmino, Coutinho; Benteke
Head To Head
As we know, the spoils were shared in the previous meeting between these two sides following a gritty performance from Rubin and a lack of end product from Liverpool.
In the past, Rubin have done relatively well against English teams as they have claimed three wins, all of which were on Russian soil, two draws and suffered two defeats.
Wigan Athletic, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all suffered defeats to Rubin, while Liverpool have won half of their 12 matches against Russian opponents.
One of those wins ended in a 3-1 triumph over CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Super Cup.
We say: Rubin Kazan 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool are hunting for their first win in this tournament and as they enter Thursday's match on a high after executing a convincing win over Chelsea, they might just be able to snatch it. Rubin are unbeaten on home turf and will have the crowd advantage, but had Liverpool been more clinical at Anfield, then they would surely have claimed victory a fortnight ago. It will be a tight affair, perhaps with the Reds scoring a late winner.
Danielle Joynson
