Soccer / Europa League Round of 32 / Hapoel coach: Russian frost will take bite out of attack

As if the cold weather in Europe did not pose enough of a problem for Hapoel Tel Aviv, coach Eli Guttman warned his troops yesterday that the porous field conditions will hamper his team's offensive maneuverability for tonight's Europa League round of 32 opener against Rubin Kazan at Central Stadium in Kazan.

In the final tune-up before the match, Guttman cautioned his players against unnecessary dribbling, particularly on the defensive end of the pitch. For the Reds to be successful, Guttman said they will need to adjust their style of play to the difficult terrain.

"Under these conditions, it is difficult to exploit your technical skills," Guttman told his players. "It is important that you know how to deal with this situation."

"We have come a long way and we want to keep it going," the coach said. "When this tournament started, I'm sure that there weren't many people who thought we would reach the stage we're at."

"What is worse than the weather is the pitch on which we will play, which will hurt our technical game," Guttman said. "In these circumstances, it's hard to gauge what our chances are because one slip here or there could determine the game."

In this remarks, the Hapoel coach praised Russian soccer team Rubin Kazan.

"This is a team that beat Barcelona on their home turf," Guttman said. "They have a brand of soccer that combines personal ability with team play."