Rafael Benitez insists a return to Moscow will not faze the Chelsea players who were involved in the club’s painful Champions League defeat there.
Problems with Rubin Kazan’s pitch have prompted Uefa to rule that the second leg of their Europa League clash with Chelsea will take place in the Russian capital, where the Blues were beaten on penalties by Manchester United in 2008.
The likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech featured in that final, and interim manager Benitez said: “These players have experience of playing around Europe.
“They will have good memories of some places and bad memories of others. And if we can get a good result here [in the first leg], it will be easier.”
Benitez will be without Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill for tonight’s game, with Ryan Bertrand set to fill in for Cole at left-back.
Cole suffered a hamstring injury during Chelsea’s FA Cup win against United, while Cahill has been nursing knee problem since the recent league victory over West Ham.
Both players are still being assessed by Chelsea’s medical staff and are expected to be sidelined for at least fortnight.
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This post was last modified on 04/04/2013