Champions League

Barcelona Coach Pep Guardiola Demanding Top Drawer Performance Against Rubin Kazan

The coach says the players must move on from Saturday's disappointment...

Nov 2, 2009 6:37:28 AM

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Pep Guardiola, Barcelona (PA)

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Pep Guardiola

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has insisted that his team must be at their top performance level to defeat Rubin Kazan in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night in Russia.

The champions dropped points for only the second time this season in the Primera Liga following an own goal from Gerard Pique with the last kick of the game against Pamplona but the coach says they must put the disappointment of that game behind them and focus on the next game against the Russian champions.

"Against Kazan I want us all to be at the top level," he declared, according to Sport.

Guardiola knows his side face a difficult task to emerge from Group F with a home tie against Inter and an away tie against Dynamo Kiev still to come. The champions currently sit on four points along with Dynamo and Rubin and Inter are bottom of the group with just three points, following three draws.

The Barca coach is not underestimating the significance of a win away to Rubin and is keen for his players to forget about the game in Pamplona.

"These things happen. I do not want long faces or concern. This is the way forward and in three days we play a very important game and I want everyone at their peak," Guardiola added.

Paul Madden, Goal.com