Sergei Kiriakov believes that the Moscow-based club will fight for their progression to the later stages with SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League this season
Spartak Moscow will face four-time UEFA Champions League winners, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/SL-Benfica-c40542 and Scottish giants, Celtic, in the group stages of the European tournament.
The Moscow-based club reached the group stages after winning the play-off round 3-2 against Fenerbahce on aggregate. Spartak will travel to Spain to play their first group stage match against Barcelona.
Former Dynamo Moscow striker, Sergei Kiriakov, has insisted that the Spartachi have been drawn against decent opponents in the group stages.
The Russian national is of the belief that Spartak and Benfica will battle it out for progressing to the later stages of the tournament, and insisted that Barcelona are expected to win all their group stage matches home and away.
Kiriakov revealed that the Red-whites cannot win against the Spanish giants despite the fact that Pep Guardiola has left them, admitting that the Moscow-based club are not a strong European side despite signing new head coach,
Unai Emery, from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863 this summer.
And while Kiriakov knows that Rubin Kazan, another Russian Premier League side that defeated the Catalans at Camp Nou in the past, the 42-year-old ruled out Spartak’s chances of winning against Barcelona.
“No team in the group can match Barcelona. I don’t think Spartak or any other team are capable of winning against the Spanish team.”
“The Catalans have not become weaker opponents after suffering a defeat against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. They played with ten men the entire second half, so I think they were a bit unlucky. But even in such a situation,
they had the advantage and pressed the opponent down the end of the match. I believe they are the strongest and most powerful club in the world.” The Legends Cup winner was quoted as saying.
Kiriakov went on to urge the Myaso to show determination in their performances in Europe telling them that they can get good results if they play like they did against Fenerbahce.
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