Champions league match Zenit St Petersburg vs AC Milan Preview,Prediction,Lineups,Live stream
Stadium : Stadion Petrovskij — Sankt-Peterburg (St. Petersburg)
Referee: F. Brych
This Wednesday are also scheduled for play eight games in the Champions League second round, and the first teams which will weigh their strength are the Russian champion Zenit St Petersburg and the Italian vice champion AC Milan,and both of them 14 days ago within their group C recorded bad results.
Namely “Rossoneri” have still been able to get a point at home against Anderlecht, while at the away game against the Spanish Malaga,Zenit was defeated with even 3:0.
Of course that now the hosts will do their best to fix the bad impression, and certainly will be an additional motivation for them to play against one of the most successful European teams.
However, wishes are one thing and another are their current capabilities, as Zenit team despite this disappointing performance against Malaga, in the domestic championship are providing poor games as well, which is the reason why after 10 league rounds they are only on the seventh place, five points behind the leaders FC Anzhi Makhachkala.
However, this is not a big difference, especially they improve significantly form in the future, what is certainly the hope of an experienced coach Spaletti. This season ,Zenit have even better team than last year, but obviously some things are not arranged on the best way,and Russian media reported that some first team players are dissatisfied with the new arrivals,Hulk from Porto,and Witsel from Benfica,or more important with their payments.
In the last round match against Lokomotiva, Zenit has played only 1-1 so that the crisis of Zenit is even heavier and they are more and more of those who criticize bringing of precious duo from Porto-Banfica especially as for now they did not justify the expectations.
Especially Witsel, whom coach Spaletti did not even used in the starting lineup so far, and probably it wont against AC Milan wont, while this meeting will miss injured midfielders Danny and Semak.
As for the team of AC Milan, they opposed to the Russian Zenit ahead of the start of the season due to financial problems were forced to sell their two best players, Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, while the club rid of the large number of veterans who otherwise were carriers of their past two very successful seasons.
Meanwhile, at the San Siro have arrived some players who do not really belong to the very top of the European football, and therefore they hardly can compesate so many departures.
All of that certainly had to leave a big mark on this team, so in the first four rounds of the Italian Serie A,they suffered three defeats, and winning only as the guests at Bologna, and in that time, they also failed in the already mentioned Champions League match against Anderlecht.
However, in the past 10 days they consolidate a little their ranks and at home came to a victory of 2-0 over Cagliari,and then weekend on an away game at Parma they remained undefeated, playing a draw 1:1.
So with these four points they began their escape from the danger zone, and certainly deserves much credit for this belong to young striker El Shaarawy who scored all three goals for his team, and so practically have cemented a place in the first lineup in the match with Zenit.
His partner in attack this time is likely to be experienced Pazzini, while young Bojan and Robinho their chance again will wait from the bench.
Still out of action is Pato, while on the list of injured players are also midfielders Muntari and Strasser as well as defender Vila.
Zenit probable lineup 4-3-3 : Malafeev;Anyukov, B. Alves, Lombaerts, Criscito;Shirokov, Zyryanov, Denisov;Bystrov, Kerzhakov, Hulk
AC Milan probable lineup 4-3-1-2 : Abbiati;Abate, Zapata, Mexes, De Sciglio;De Jong, Montolivo, Nocerino;Boateng;El Shaarawy, Pazzini
Match prediction :Given that both teams are playing very unstable, even at moments and a surprisingly poor at the start of the season, we believe that in this extremely important mutual duel they will play somewhat more cautiously and with the main goal to remain undefeated.Under 3 goals.