Zenit host Austria Vienna in St-Petersburg in this evenings Champions League encounter. Both sides lost their opening games against Atletico and Porto respectively, so both will be hoping to right some wrongs this evening.
Zenit fans will be hoping to see this celebration this evening
Comparisons and Contrasts
Both sides are in differing form coming into this match. Zenit are simply irresistible at the moment and are playing some scintillating stuff. The visitors on the other hand, have won just 1 of their last 5 in all competitions, so they are not full of confidence like their Russian counterparts are. Spartak were Zenit’s most recent victims at the weekend, where the Sine-Belo-Golubye came out on top in an enthralling 6 goal thriller. Meanwhile, Austria Vienna lost 1-0 at bottom of the table Admira.
The only comparison in terms of recent form, is that both sides lost their opening group stage match. Austria Vienna narrowly lost to Porto in Vienna and Zenit lost on their travels to Atletico Madrid.
Injuries and Tactics
The hosts are still without injured duo Malafeev and Shirokov, but their absence does not seem to be harming Zenit too much at the moment. Therefore I expect Zenit to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, hoping that Spalletti learnt from his mistake of playing a back 5 in Madrid. It will be difficult for Spalletti to change too much from the side that beat Spartak, so I expect Fayzulin and Witsel to play in central midfield. In front of them is where changes could be made, as Shatov, who scored at the weekend, could come into the starting 11 possibly in place of Arshavin.
The visitors will know how tough this game will be tonight. However, they have to approach the game in the right way, and not be too defensive otherwise they will leave Russia with nothing. I expect them to start off in a variation of a 4-3-3, turning in to a 4-5-1 when defending. The visitors will no doubt miss injured midfielder Alex Grunwald who is out until March with a Cruciate Knee ligament rupture.
Key Battles
I expect Zenit to have a lot of the possession and to be in control of the game, so the way in which Witsel and Danny, Zenit’s creative players perform, will be key to Zenit’s success in this match. However, when an opponent allows you to come on to them, lesser players often lose patience and hit stray passes or ridiculous long shots, so Witsel and Danny will have to be patient in order to create chances.
One to Watch
Danny (Zenit)- Danny has been so influential in Zenit’s rise to the top of the RPL table so far this year, he is scoring more than he ever has and always has the capability to produce something from nothing- a trait opponents always fear.
Hosiner (A.Vienna)- Hosiner has an incredible goalscoring record for Austria Vienna, he has scored 35 goals in 51 appearances for them in all competitions, also assisting 12 times. Zenit will be wary of the threat that Hosiner possesses, and will know that any clear chance given to him will be punished.
Danny has been fabulous this season.
Hosiner: Danger Man
Prediction
I expect Austria Vienna to give Zenit a game, but the Champions League debutants will struggle acclimatizing to the conditions in Russia’s North West. Zenit undoubtedly have more quality and more influential players, it’s just a question of whether they perform on the night. If they do, it will be a good evening for the St-Petersburg club.
Prediction: Zenit 3-1 Austria Vienna
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