UEFA Champions League
play pause open Close
 
3 vs 2
Played
February 15, 2012 5:00 PM GMT
Stadion Petrovskij — Sankt-Peterburg (St. Petersburg)
Referee:‬ J. Eriksson‎
Attendance:‬ 18200‎
 

Champions League Preview: Zenit St Petersburg - Benfica

Goal.com previews the action as the Russian outfit look to maintain their good home record against Portuguese sides, with the visitors aiming for a rare victory in Eastern Europe

By Enis Koylu

More On :  Benfica, Zenit, Zenit vs Benfica
UEFA Champions League :Jonny Evans - Oscar Cardozo, SL Benfica v Manchester United
Getty Images

 PROBABLE LINEUPS


ZENIT


Zhevnov
Anyukov, Alves, Hubocan, Lombaerts
Zyryanov, Denisov, Shirokov
Faizulin, Kerzhakov, Lazovic
BENFICA


Artur
Pereira, Luisao, Garay, Emerson
Matic, Witsel
Gaitan, Aimar, Nolito
Cardozo

Portuguese playmaker Danny will be missing for the hosts after it was confirmed that he would be unavailable for the rest of the season after tearing knee ligaments. Elsewhere, Vyacheslav Malafeev has been ruled out with a calf problem and Domenico Criscito was hospitalised over the weekend with food poisoning.

Aleksandr Anyukov, Danko Lazovic, Roman Shirokov and Aleksanr Bukharov have all nursed minor injuries in recent weeks, but should be fit to start, while Aleksandr Kerzhakov, who hasn't featured in a competitive match since October, is back in contention, having been prominent in the club's winter friendlies.

For Benfica, Emerson and Luisao started the weekend clash against Maritimo, after both shaking off thigh injuries. However, Javi Garcia will miss the match after sustaining a knock last week, with Nemanja Matic set to step into the Spaniard's stead.

Elsewhere, Yannick Djalo, Joan Capdevila and Andre Almeida have all been added to Jorge Jesus' squad for the competition.


 DID YOU KNOW?
  • These two sides have never met before in European competition.
  • However, Zenit have already hosted Portuguese opposition this season, beating Porto 3-1 in September.
  • Additionally, the Russian side have never lost at home to a side from Portugal - having won two and drawn one of the three fixtures.
  • Zenit defender Bruno Alves (right) is an international colleague of Benfica's Eduardo.
  • Benfica goalkeeper Artur played under current Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti for Roma in 2008-09.
  • The Portuguese side last won in Russia in 1996 - a 3-2 Cup Winners' Cup victory over Lokomotiv Moscow.

Follow Goal.com on Twitter

Follow Goal.com on Facebook
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Zenit 1-2 Benfica
    18.44 %
  • Zenit 1-1 Benfica
    11.55 %
  • Zenit 0-2 Benfica
    11.44 %
Head to Head
UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Mar 6, 2012 Benfica 2 - Zenit 0
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Feb 15, 2012 Zenit 3 - Benfica 2
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Last Five Matches
Zenit
May 13, 2012Anzhi 0 - Zenit 2RUS1
May 6, 2012Zenit 2 - Spartak 3RUS1
May 2, 2012Rubin Kazan 2 - Zenit 2RUS1
Apr 28, 2012Zenit 2 - Dinamo Moscow 1RUS1
Apr 21, 2012Kuban 2 - Zenit 2RUS1
Benfica
May 12, 2012Vitoria Setubal 1 - Benfica 3POR1
May 5, 2012Benfica 1 - Uniao de Leiria 0POR1
Apr 29, 2012Rio Ave 2 - Benfica 2POR1
Apr 21, 2012Benfica 4 - Maritimo 1POR1
Apr 9, 2012Sporting Lisbon 1 - Benfica 0POR1
Odds
Returns: Zenit £65.00 Sportingbet Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets!
Returns: Draw £100.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Benfica £460.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
30Yury ZhevnovGoalkeeper
2Alexander AnyukovDefender
3Bruno AlvesDefender
6Nicolas LombaertsDefender
14Tomás HubocanDefender
15Roman ShirokovDefender
18Konstantin ZyryanovMidfielder
27Igor DenisovMidfielder
20Viktor FaizulinMidfielder
11Aleksandr KerzhakovStriker
99Maxim KanunnikovStriker
22Dmitriy BorodinGoalkeeper
24Aleksandar LukovicDefender
-Igor CheminavaDefender
17Alessandro RosinaMidfielder
23Szabolcs HusztiMidfielder
25Sergey SemakMidfielder
34Vladimir BystrovMidfielder
1ArturGoalkeeper
3EmersonDefender
4LuisaoDefender
14Maximiliano PereiraDefender
24Ezequiel GarayDefender
8Bruno CésarMidfielder
20Osvaldo Nicolás Fabián GaitánMidfielder
21Nemanja MatićMidfielder
28Axel WitselMidfielder
7Oscar CardozoStriker
19Rodrigo Moreno Machado(Rodrigo)Striker
47EduardoGoalkeeper
27Miguel VítorDefender
33Jardel Nivaldo VieiraDefender
10P. AimarMidfielder
9NolitoMidfielder
16Nélson OliveiraStriker
30Javier SaviolaStriker
Players to Watch
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 11
Games Goals YC RC
4 0 0 0
Amid the heft injuries Zenit are suffering from, one bit of extremely positive news is Aleksandr Kerzhakov's return to fitness. The fomer Sevilla man was in highly impressive form prior to sustaining his injury, scoring nine goals in his previous league matches, and picked up where he left off in his team's winter friendlies.
Nemanja Matić
Nemanja Matić
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 21
Games Goals YC RC
9 0 0 0
With Javi Garcia missing, opportunity knocks for the Serb. The former Chelsea man has found chances few and far between since his arrival in the Portguese capital, but with the star of his side's midfield missing, Matic has a golden opportunity to prove his first team credentials.
Prediction
Despite Zenit's formidable record against Portuguese teams, and Benfica's woes in Russia, I'd expect these two sides to play out a draw. Zenit have not played a competitive match for quite some time, and additionally, have a number of key players unavailable. Jorge Jesus' men, meanwhile, are still unbeaten in their domestic league and qualified in impressive fashion for this stage.
Editor's Prediction
Zenit 1
Benfica 1
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona 		14 4
Mario Gomez Mario Gomez
Striker
Bayern 		13 0
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid 		10 2
Karim Benzema Karim Benzema
Striker
Real Madrid 		7 0
Didier Drogba Didier Drogba
Striker
Chelsea 		6 0