Barca on the hunt for revenge

Barcelona travels to Russia to face Rubin Kazan on Wednesday. The reigning Champions League winner will aim for revenge for their shock defeat at home a fortnight ago. Director of football Txiki Begiristain is convinced Barça can put on a good show despite the cold in Kazan.

Barcelona is aware of the tricky situation in their group, with three clubs with the same amount of points. Barca know they have to give their best considering their difficult schedule, with still two away games in eastern Europe to come: they meet Russia’s Rubin on Wednesday and then Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev in their final outing in December.

Still, Begiristain remains confident that Pep Guardiola’s side will get their title defence back on track. ““If the pitch is OK then I’m not worried. I believe we are the better team and the main thing is that the players warm up thoroughly.

“Kazan work hard and have a good group of players. We mustn’t forget that they are champions of their country and they’ve got money to spend”.

Begiristain isn’t surprised by the good performances of their east European opponents. “I remember perfectly how I assessed the draw. I especially emphasized the difficulty of the away matches.

“In all senses it’s a very balanced group. Inter and Barça were the favourites and now we have to fight to qualify in two away matches”