Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Europa League showdown between Rubin Kazan and Liverpool, two sides who are still looking for their first victory in Group B. Should either manage to find it at the Kazan Arena tonight then it would be a big step towards qualification for the knockout rounds, so there is plenty to play for here. Let's start with a look at the two teams on show...

RUBIN KAZAN STARTING XI: Ryzhikov; Kverkvelia, Cotugno, Kambolov, Nabiullin; Carlos Eduardo, Kislyak, Karadeniz, Georgiev; Devic, Kanunnikov

RUBIN KAZAN SUBS: Haghighi, Lemos, Ustinov, Akhmetov, Bilyaletdinov, Ozdoev, Dyadyun

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Sakho, Lovren, Moreno; Can, Allen, Milner; Ibe, Firmino; Benteke

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Bogdan, Coutinho, Lallana, Lucas, Origi, Brannagan, Skrtel

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, starting with the hosts, they make two changes from the side that was victorious as the weekend as Nabiullin comes into the defence while Karadeniz also returns to the starting XI. The first of those two changes is something of an enforced one, with Kuzmin suspended for tonight's match having been sent off at Anfield a fortnight ago. Ustinov started on the right side of the defence at the weekend, but he drops to the bench tonight.

Ozdoev is the man to make way in midfield for Karadeniz, who came off the bench last time out against Anzhi. Aside from those two changes, it is the same team that picked up the away win at the weekend, while there is a familiar name on the bench in the form of Dinyar Bilyaletdinov, who spent time on Merseyside with Liverpool's local rivals Everton a few years ago.

The biggest threat to the Liverpool defence tonight is expected to be Marko Devic, who has replaced the injured Portnyagin in the side and really hit the ground running. He was the man who opened the scoring to stun Anfield in the reverse fixture between these two sides, while he was on the scoresheet again at the weekend, scoring two goals in as many first-half minutes to help his side on their way to all three points.

As for Liverpool, their headline news is the inclusion of Christian Benteke up front as the big Belgian finally makes his first start under Jurgen Klopp. Benteke has already made an impact off the bench in a few matches since the German's arrival, scoring against both Southampton and Chelsea, and he looks as though he could be a real threat under the guidance of the new man in charge. He is still perhaps just short of full fitness, but his place in the starting lineup tonight suggests that he is not far away.

Benteke is one of four changes to the Liverpool team that beat Chelsea on Saturday, and his inclusion means that Firmino, who started as the most advanced player at Stamford Bridge, drops back into his more familiar role just behind the striker. He is likely to operate in wide areas too, with Ibe joining him in support of Benteke up front. The young winger replaces Lallana in the side, while Coutinho, who scored twice against Chelsea, also drops to the bench.

A third change comes in the middle of the park as Lucas Leiva, who was fortunate not to be sent off against Chelsea having made a risky challenge when already on a yellow card, is demoted to the bench for this evening's game. His place is taken by Joe Allen, who is expected to play as the central figure of a trio that also includes James Milner and Emre Can. Jordan Henderson remains out due to a foot injury.

There is just one change in defence tonight, with Martin Skrtel being handed a rest following his typically physical duel with Diego Costa at the weekend. The Slovakian defender is on the bench for tonight's game, with his place in the starting XI being taken by Dejan Lovren. Mamadou Sakho, who certainly seems to be more favoured by Klopp than he was by Rodgers, continues at the heart of the defence.

There is no change in the full-back areas as Moreno continues on the left, despite being partially to blame for Chelsea's early goal at the weekend as he allowed Ramires to sneak in front of him. With Gomez injured for the season and Enrique out in the wilderness, there isn't much competition for the Spaniard in truth. On the opposite flank Clyne is once again selected having recently scored his first goal for the club against Bournemouth to see Liverpool through to the quarter-finals. Mignolet, meanwhile, retains his place in goal with Bogdan on the bench.

Liverpool certainly have the tools to hurt Rubin tonight, then, but the hosts will be quietly confident that they can come away from this match with a positive result. Things have not been going too well for them this season, but Liverpool have faced a 2,500 mile trip for this game and, with the conditions more suited to the hosts and the added bonus of the majority of those inside the brand new Kazan Arena cheering them on, they will fancy their chances.

Like Liverpool, Rubin have changed manager already this season, with current boss Valeriy Chaly in temporary charge following the dismissal of Rinat Bilyaletdinov back in September. In truth, it has been a pretty dismal campaign for the hosts so far, but Chaly slowly looks he may be turning things around with one or two improved results of late. Still, they remains 12th in the Russian Premier League table having picked up just 13 points from their first 14 games.

That tally leaves them already 13 points off the Europa League places and 23 behind leaders CSKA Moscow. They are, in fact, level with the relegation playoff places and only out of the danger zone courtesy of goal difference, despite only two teams conceding more than their 21 goals against so far this season. They have lost nine of their 14 league outings so far this term, which is more than any other side in the league.

Their position was even worse a week ago too, with a 2-1 victory over bottom side Anzhi improving their standing at the weekend. As mentioned, Devic got both of his side's goals in that match, while they were able to hang on for the victory despite Maksimov pulling one back for the hosts. Even so, that was still only Rubin's second win in their last 10 games in all competitions and just their sixth in 22 all season, with half of those ending in defeat.

As mentioned, though, there has been a slight upturn in fortunes under Chaly, and those two wins have both come in their last four outings. They are improving at home too, losing just one of their last five games at the Kazan Arena having failed to win any of their first four in all competitions. Three of those five games ended in victory of Rubin, while they managed to traverse the whole of October without losing in front of their own fans.

Rubin entered the Europa League at the third qualifying round and had to overcome Sturm Graz (4-3 on aggregate) and Rabotnicki (2-1 on aggregate) to reach the group stages of this season's competition. They began with defeat to Sion, but that remains their only Europa loss in their seven outings this term, with draws against Bordeaux and Liverpool following. Even so, they remain bottom of Group B, five points off leaders Sion.

As is often the case with sides like Rubin Kazan, their home record in Europe is a good one. They are a very tough team to beat on their own patch, losing just one of their last 12 Europa League games in Kazan since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid in February 2013. They are unbeaten at their new stadium in Europe and have won eight of their last 12 home games in continental competition, also keeping eight clean sheets in that time. They have, however, only won one of their last five, a run which also includes defeat to Betis in 2014.

This will certainly not be a walk in the park for Liverpool, then, but they will be full of confidence themselves having started to move in the right direction under new boss Jurgen Klopp. After all the fanfare that greeted the German's arrival at Anfield, matters on the field were rather anticlimactic as his tenure began with three consecutive draws. However, throughout the early stages of his spell he stressed that it would take time, and slowly but surely we are starting to see Liverpool move in the right direction.

Indeed, they come into tonight's game still unbeaten under Klopp, following up those three draws with back-to-back victories over Bournemouth and Chelsea respectively. It should also be noted, though, that Rodgers's reign did not end in a string of defeats either. In fact, Liverpool's unbeaten run now stretches to 11 games in all competitions since their 3-1 loss at the hands of Manchester United in September.

The main problem for Liverpool this season has been drawing games. That is particularly evident in this competition, but also no team in the Premier League has drawn more often than the Reds this season, while that 11-game unbeaten streak has seen the match end all square eight times, including the League Cup tie with Carlisle that was eventually won on penalties. They have actually only lost two of their 16 games in all competitions this term, but they need to start turning those draws into wins.

Despite just those two defeats - the same number as joint league leaders Arsenal and Man City, Liverpool currently sit down in eight place in the Premier League, eight points off the pace and four off the top four. Goals have been their biggest problem, with their rather meagre tally of 12 making them the lowest scorers in the top half. Of course, injuries to Sturridge, Benteke and Ings have not helped matters, but they need other players in the team to share the mantle too.

Coutinho did that at the weekend with a brace against Chelsea to hand Klopp his first league win in charge of the club, while Benteke came off the bench to score the third in a 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge. Aside from piling more misery onto one of their biggest rivals of recent times, that result also gave Liverpool a first away victory since the opening day of the season. They have also only lost once on the road this term, but once again it is those draws that have proved costly. Having said that, the Reds have had a very tricky start to the campaign in terms of away games, and taking points off the likes of Spurs, Arsenal and Everton is not too bad a record.

Liverpool are synonymous with European football, thanks largely to their five European Cups, but recently it has seemed like a long way since the glory days. They have struggled to even get into Europe over the past few seasons, with the one exception being their Premier League near miss. They come into this match having won just one of their last 10 European outings, with that coming back in February of this year with a 1-0 triumph over Besiktas in the Europa League.

You have to go back to December 2012 for their last away victory in Europe as they overcame Udinese 1-0 in Italy. Since then, they have drawn two and lost four of their six outings, failing to even score in all of those defeats. That six-match winless run is a joint club record, matching a spell from October 2001-September 2002, so a failure to pick up all three points tonight would hand the Reds an unwanted piece of history.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff in Kazan, which means that it is time for a prediction! That Liverpool away record in Europe really is a poor one, and the hosts have been decent at home in this competition this season. However, Klopp seems to be building a bit of momentum and there is no getting away from the fact that Rubin Kazan have been poor so far this season. I'm going for a 2-1 away victory.

Such a result would create a slice of history for Liverpool, with Rubin boasting a 100% record when they welcome English clubs to Kazan. They have beaten Chelsea, Tottenham and Wigan here in recent years, all by a one-goal margin. Overall against English teams their record stands at won three, drawn two and lost two, while Russian clubs as a whole have lost just two of their last 11 home European games against English opposition.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have won six of their 12 meetings with Russian opposition down the years, with two draws and four defeats in that time too. Their record in Russia stands at two wins and three defeats, though, while they have never kept a clean sheet on a visit to these shores, conceding nine goals in their five games.

These two met just a fortnight ago in the reverse fixture, of course, which was also the first ever meeting between the two teams. As with Liverpool's first two group games, it ended in a 1-1 draw at Anfield, with Devic stunning the crowd with his 15th-minute opener. It appeared to be very much advantage Liverpool once Kuzmin had been shown two yellow cards inside the first half, however, and that was especially true when Emre Can levelled things up just a minute after the dismissal. Despite their man advantage, though, Liverpool could not find another way through as Rubin Kazan held on for the point.

We're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff now as both sides look to get three points which would take them significantly closer to the knockout stages. Both of these clubs have progressed from their respective groups in every previous Europa League campaign that they have participated in, but it looks at though only one of them, at most, will manage it this time around.

KICKOFF: Here we go! The hosts get us underway at the impressive Kazan Arena.

Liverpool have the first shot of the day, but it isn't a great one as Can scuffs a poor effort well wide after he was teed up by Benteke.

The pitch isn't great tonight, it must be said. It is expected to cut up a little, but hopefully it won't have too much of an adverse effect on the game itself.

OFF THE BAR! Huge chance for Liverpool to take an early lead! It is brilliant from Firmino as he pokes the ball through the legs of a defender before collecting it on the other side and playing a clever little pass into Milner. The midfielder finds himself in a great position inside the box, but his effort flicks off the bar when he really should have scored.

Another effort from Milner, but this time he chests the ball down and volleys it a long way off target after a corner was only cleared as far as the stand-in skipper. This has been a very encouraging start from Liverpool, though.

Vital piece of defending from Kverkvelia to deny Benteke what would have been a simple finish. It was more good play from the visitors as Firmino and Ibe combined to slip in Clyne, who in turn put his cross into the box. Benteke is stooping to head it in at the back post, but Kverkvelia gets a tow to it to hook it away. Moments later the ball is played to Can, but he stands on the ball and the chance goes begging.

Sill Liverpool come forward, and this time it is Benteke who goes for goal from outside the box. The Belgian gets plenty of power behind his effort, but lashes it a couple of yards wide of the target.

Liverpool have enjoyed 71% possession in these opening exchanges, which is a sign of how dominant they have been so far. It has been almost one-way traffic from the first whistle, and Liverpool are carrying a threat with all of their possession too.

The hosts have their best spell of the match so far, putting one low cross in that Sakho has to clear and then winning a corner right on the sideline. That is cleared as far as Nabiullin, who can't control his volley.

More good football from Liverpool, who are posing most of their problems down the right. Ibe and Clyne combine down the flank here, only for the latter to see his cross claimed by the keeper.

CHANCE! Decent chance for the visitors as Clyne pass is meant for Benteke but runs all the way through for Firmino. The Brazilian has the angle against him but, due to a lack of support, goes for goal himself. He slices his effort well wide of the near post, though.

Again Firmino goes for goal, but this time it is a poor one. He cuts inside onto his left and works a yard to shoot, but he is off balance and skews it closer to the corner flag. Liverpool are certainly keen to fire a lot of shots off this evening, though.

Firmino fizzes the ball in to the feet of Benteke, who is clipped and goes down to win Liverpool a free kick in a very promising position here. It is very central, but within shooting distance.

Moreno is the man who takes the shot on, but he fires it straight into the wall. Disappointing effort from the full-back.

The hosts want a penalty as Carlos Eduardo's attempted flick inside hits the arm of Milner, but the Liverpool skipper was too close for the referee to seriously consider that.

It is just the end product which is lacking for Liverpool so far tonight. Their approach play has been very impressive, with plenty of forward passes at pace keeping them heading in the right direction. However, their shooting has been disappointing.

Again Liverpool come forward down the right, and after Clyne's cross is deflected Milner has a chance to put the ball in. His delivery is not the best, but Firmino meets it and glances a header wide.

It does feel like a matter of when, rather than if, Liverpool will find the breakthrough here. They have been utterly dominant for this opening half an hour or so, although that early Milner effort is the only gilt-edged chance that they have created.

The hosts have offered nothing going forward so far, which is allowing Liverpool to commit more and more men forward. The likes of Moreno and Clyne have been playing more as wingers than full-backs, such has been Liverpool's dominance.

Liverpool mix things up a bit with a few attacks down the left, but Moreno puts a couple of disappointing crosses into the box in quick succession. A third is only cleared as far as Ibe on the edge, but his left-footed shot is blocked.

The hosts are defending in numbers whenever Liverpool come forward and, in fairness to them, they are defending well. Liverpool have largely been limited to long shots, most of which have left a lot to be desired.

Liverpool are just camped inside the Rubin half at the moment, as they have been for the majority of the match so far. They still haven't been able to find a way through, though, with the hosts packing the box and defending crosses in particular very well.

Patience is going to be key for Liverpool tonight, you feel, but so far the visitors haven't fallen into the trap of slowing down their tempo. They have been very positive in their passing so far tonight.

Almost a rare chance for Rubin to break forward as Karadeniz skips past a challenge from Can, but Clyne is there to mop up and play the ball back to Mignolet.

Good play from Can as he picks the ball up out on the left before cutting all the way inside to create a shooting opportunity. His effort is blocked, and the loose ball almost drops into the path of a teammate, but the keeper is alert and comes to claim it.

It looks as though the hosts may make it to half time still level, but they have been comfortably second best tonight. Liverpool have been the superior team by some distance and it is surely only a matter of time before they break their hosts down.

There will be just the one additional minute at the end of this first half.

CLOSE! Liverpool are so close to ending the first half with a goal, but it is fantastic goalkeeping from Ryzhikov! It was Ibe who had the initial deflected shot that the keeper did well to save initially, before managing to claw the ball away before it could bounce off the line having seen it come back off his own man.

We're still goalless at the Kazan Arena, then, as Rubin and Liverpool go into the break all square despite it being one-way traffic for the entirety of the half. The hosts have not threatened whatsoever, instead focusing on keeping the visitors at bay. They have managed to do that so far, but it remains to be seen how long their resistance will hold up for.

The closest we have come to a goal came inside the opening stages of the match as Firmino nutmegged his marker before slipping a clever pass through for Milner inside the area. The skipper found himself in a very good position, but the ball took a small bobble just before he hit it and, as a result, he lifted it against the crossbar when he probably should have scored.

Liverpool came close again right at the end of the half, but this time it was the Rubin keeper rather than the woodwork that saved the hosts. It was Ibe's initial effort that deflected off Kverkvelia, forcing Ryzhikov to make a brilliant reaction save. The ball was still threatening to creep over the line, but the keeper recovered well to claw the ball away.

Firmino has also had one effort that he sliced wide of the near post but, aside from that, Liverpool have otherwise been limited to long-range shots. Their shooting from outside the box has not been good enough either, with many of their efforts either going high over the crossbar or well wide. It is up to the visitors to break their opponents down in the second half as the hosts don't look as though they have come to play tonight at all.

The end product has been disappointing from a Liverpool perspective this evening, be it their shooting or the final ball. Their approach play has been encouraging, with plenty of forward passes and the ball being moved at a good tempo, but they could do with a bit more guile in and around the box. Philippe Coutinho could well be the man to provide that off the bench.

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that the hosts have made a change at half time, with Magomed Ozdoev replacing Carlos Eduardo.

CLOSE! Bright start to the second half from Liverpool as they pick up exactly where they left off. The cross arrives from the right and is just too high for Benteke, although it falls for Moreno at the back post. He lashes an effort goalwards, but it takes a slight deflection on its way into the side-netting.

Unsurprisingly, this game has quickly fallen back into the same rhythm as the first half, with Liverpool dominating possession and camped inside the Rubin half. Surely the hosts can't hold out for another 45 minutes?

Brilliant challenge from Kverkvelia to deny Allen getting through on goal. The Liverpool midfielder exchanged passes with Benteke and looked like he might have been able to burst into the box, but the Georgian defender slid in with a vital tackle.

Liverpool finally get the breakthrough! It is more silky build-up play as Firmino flicks the ball into the path of Ibe, who drives into the space in front of him. Kverkvelia is slow to come across, and Ibe uses that space to pass his effort in off the post for his first ever Liverpool goal. What a moment for the youngster, and certainly no more than Liverpool deserve.

Will we see Rubin come out of their shell a little now? They have offered absolutely nothing in the final third so far this evening, but with their Europa League chances now hanging in the balance, surely they have no choice but to attack more.

CHANCE! Liverpool are pushing for a second here, and they almost get it as Moreno shows great desire to win a 50-50 before drilling a low ball across the face of goal. It is only cleared as far as Milner, but the skipper's effort is tipped over by the keeper.

CHANCE! Ryzhikov is called into action again here as Ibe's corner flies over the head of Benteke but is met by Lovren. It isn't the most convincing effort from the defender, but neither is it the most convincing save as the keeper just about prevents it from squirming over the line.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Klopp makes his first change of the evening as Adam Lallana comes on in place of Milner.

Really good chance for Liverpool to come forward here as they take advantage of a rare Rubin attack. Firmino leads the charge and has Benteke in support, with Clyne racing up on his right too. However, he seems to be caught in two minds and the attack eventually breaks down when Benteke's shot is deflected wide.

CHANCE! The resulting corner breaks to Emre Can on the edge of the box, but his low effort is relatively simple for the keeper to collect.

There does seem to be a little more ambition about the home side now, but they still don't look like really threatening the Liverpool defence. Still, the visitors could do with a second goal here.

The referee has been very lenient tonight. There have been a few occasions when he could have produced a card, but so far he has kept them in his pocket and tried to let the game flow when possible.

CHANCE! Another lightning Liverpool break creates another chance as Benteke flicks it on to Lallana, who has a man either side him in a three-on-two situation. He chooses to slide in Ibe on his right, but the youngster's effort is straight at the keeper, who saves it with his feet.

RUBIN KAZAN SUB: The hosts make their second change of the evening, bringing 17-year-old Ilzat Akhmetov on in place of Kislyak.

Liverpool are just keeping the ball now, playing with a little less urgency than before but still looking to get forward whenever possible. It is all about managing these final 20 minutes or so now to ensure that they aren't stung by a rare Rubin attack.

Whatever happens in the closing stages of this match, it will be a memorable night for this man as he celebrates scoring his first ever Liverpool goal. As things stand, it looks like being the winner too...

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the night is finally produced, and it is Lovren on the receiving end for a mistimed challenge on Devic. The Rubin man makes a meal of it, but it was a foul and the hosts now have a free kick in a dangerous position...

It is Kambolov who goes for goal, but it is a truly terrible effort. He goes for power, only to blast his strike a long way over the bar. That is their best chance of the game wasted.

The hosts are beginning to see more of the ball inside the Liverpool half now, which may be getting the visitors a little nervous. It would be a tough one to take if they don't come away with the win here.

We've seen Benteke hit spectacular overhead kicks before, but this time he can't connect properly with his effort and it is easy for the keeper to collect.

Dreadful from Georgiev. When Rubin need to build an attack he chooses to let fly from 40 yards, and unsurprisingly the speculative effort comes to nothing.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Klopp opts to tighten things up in midfield here as Lucas Leiva replaces Firmino for the final 10 minutes or so.

RUBIN KAZAN SUB: The hosts also make a change, their final one of the match, as Vitali Ustinov replaces Cotugno.

Somehow, this game is not quite over yet. Rubin are carrying more of a threat now than at any other stage of the match and, while Mignolet is yet to be troubled, the Liverpool defence does not look entirely convincing when the hosts are running at them.

Half a sight of goal for the hosts as Ustinov swings a cross into the box that Devic is able to glance on, but it is never troubling Mignolet's goal.

This is better from Liverpool as they keep the ball inside the Rubin half. That is their best chance of seeing this game out now, rather than retreating into their shell and inviting pressure from the hosts.

SHOT! This Liverpool side don't seem to be in the mood to waste time, though. Lucas feeds the ball through to Ibe on the right, and the winger cuts inside his man only to drag a left-footed shot wide of the near post.

There will be a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this match.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool make their third and final change late on as they look to wind down the clock. Martin Skrtel is the man introduced, with Can making way.

Liverpool safely see out the victory to move onto six points in Group B, then, ending their run of three straight Europa League draws and extending their unbeaten run to 12 matches in all competitions. Jordon Ibe's goal proved to be the difference in the end this evening, but in truth there was only ever one team in it. Milner hit the bar early in the first half, and the 1-0 scoreline probably flatters Rubin a little.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole as Liverpool's picked up their first Europa League win of the season to take a big step towards the knockout rounds. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction as well. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!