KAZAN — Fresh from successfully defending its Russian league title on Saturday, Rubin Kazan can become only the second Russian club to advance from the group stage in the Champions League when it takes on Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.
Rubin will qualify for the knockout round if it beats Dynamo Kiev and Inter wins at Barcelona. Inter currently leads Group F with six points, one more than Barcelona and Rubin and two in front of Dynamo Kiev.
In 1995, Russian club Spartak Moscow advanced after winning all six of its group matches.
Rubin, which became the first non-Moscow team to successfully defend the Russian title, beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on Oct. 20 and then held the defending European champions to a scoreless draw at home two weeks later.
Rubin drew 0-0 with Zenit St. Petersburg on Saturday to clinch the title with a round to spare. The Russian team reported no injuries, and Argentine striker Alejandro Dominques will be back in action after missing the match.
A loss in Kazan would eliminate Dynamo Kiev, which beat Rubin 3-1 in September, and star striker Andriy Shevchenko is expecting a tough match despite beating Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 in the Ukrainian league on Saturday.
"It's not going to be easy, that's for sure," Shevchenko said. "The result [against Shakhtar] will give us some confidence because Dynamo Kiev hasn't won many games recently. It's good to head into the game in a positive mood."
Dynamo Kiev will be without its two central defenders. Yevhen Khacheridi broke a toe in Ukraine's World Cup playoff loss to Greece last week while Leandro Almeida is suspended. However, goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy is expected to play.
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