Since joining FC Rubin Kazan on March 13th, Turkish attacking midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz has guided the club to new heights in the Russian Premier League.
The Russian club has raced out to an early lead in 2008. With their latest victory over FK Khimki by a score of 4-0, they now hold a five-point advantage over second place Amkar Perm.
Rubin Kazan has been perfect through five games even defeating power FC Zenit St. Petersburg by a score of 3-1 at Petrovsky Stadion on March 30th. Gökdeniz Karadeniz scored a brace in the Zenit St. Petersburg match (77' & 83') as well as in the most recent match on April 12th against FK Khimki (56' & 61').
Karadeniz is not the only star on this squad based in Kazan, Russia.
Long time Russian national team member Sergei Semak has been instrumental to the club's success in 2008 as well. The attacking midfielder scored the first goal (75') in the victory over Zenit St. Petersburg.
Ukrainian's third most capped national team member Serhiy Rebrov has also signed on for 2008, but has yet to make a major impact. The Ukrainian legend has been capped 75 times and has scored 15 international goals. He has played in Russia, Ukraine, and England including stops with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Young Russian midfielder Aleksei Rebko is also expected to contribute.
Can Rubin Kazan hold on or will the club return to the bottom half of the table just like their 10th place finish in 2007? A better understanding of their chances will be revealed next weekend when the club squares off against Amkar Perm.
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