2 vs 3
Played
October 3, 2012 5:00 PM WAT
Stadion Petrovskij — Sankt-Peterburg (St. Petersburg)
Referee:‬ F. Brych‎
Attendance:‬ 21570‎
 
45+2′ Hulk
 
Tomás Hubocan 75′ (OG)

Zenit St Petersburg - AC Milan Preview: The big-spending Russians face a troubled Rossoneri

Zenitchiki have been in crisis of late since adding the high-profile Hulk and Axel Witsel to their squad, while Massimiliano Allegri's side are well off the pace in Serie A

Hulk - Zenit St Petersburg
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  PROBABLE LINEUPS
ZENIT

Malafeev
 Anyukov, B. Alves, Lombaerts, Criscito
 Shirokov, Zyryanov, Denisov
Bystrov, Kerzhakov, Hulk


AC MILAN


Abbiati
Abate, Zapata, Mexes, De Sciglio

De Jong, Montolivo, Nocerino
Boateng
El Shaarawy, Pazzini


Zenit will be looking to recover their form after a stunning 3-0 loss in Malaga on matchday one, and they continue without playmaker Danny, who remains a long-term casualty after suffering knee ligament damage in December of last year.

Axel Witsel, the expensive summer arrival from Benfica, is battling to be fit to make his European bow for the Russian giants, while Sergei Semak and Tomas Hubocan are also rated as touch and go to be considered for a starting berth.

Igor Denisov and Alexander Kerzhakov, who were recently jettisoned to the reserves for outspoken remarks regarding the acquisitions of Hulk and Witsel on significant salaries, are in contention to return to the side, with the latter appearing from the bench in the weekend draw with Lokomotiv Moscow.

The injury-plagued Alexandre Pato remains out of action for AC Milan, as they look to breathe some life into their dwindling campaign, while Sulley Muntari and Mathieu Flamini are also doubts.

With Milan drawing against Anderlecht on Matchday 1, a positive result for Massimiliano Allegri's side is imperative, particularly with the derby against neighbours Inter to come on Sunday.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Zenit have not been beaten at home in European competition since succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid in 2008 - a run of 16 games.
  • The Russians' last fixture against Italian opposition came against Udinese in 2008-09 in the Uefa Cup, eventually losing 2-1 on aggregate.
  • Both Zenit and AC Milan were among 10 sides who failed to score on Matchday 1; Zenit fell 3-0 to Malaga, while Milan drew 0-0 with Anderlecht.
  • AC Milan have not won away from home in the Champions League since defeating Auxerre 2-0 in November 2010.
  • El Shaarawy (pictured) has scored four times in Milan's last three matches, and he is the only player to score for the club in their last five outings.
  • Milan lost three of their first four matches in Serie A this season - the first time since 1940-41 they recorded such a record.


Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
Head to Head
UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Dec 4, 2012 Milan 0 - Zenit 1
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UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Oct 3, 2012 Zenit 2 - Milan 3
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Last Five Matches
Milan
May 19, 2013Siena 1 - Milan 2ITA1
May 12, 2013Milan 0 - Roma 0ITA1
May 8, 2013Pescara 0 - Milan 4ITA1
May 5, 2013Milan 1 - Torino 0ITA1
Apr 28, 2013Milan 4 - Catania 2ITA1
Odds
Team News
Available Squads
16Vyacheslav MalafeevGoalkeeper
2Alexander AnyukovDefender
4Domenico CriscitoDefender
6Nicolas LombaertsDefender
14Tomás HubocanDefender
15Roman ShirokovDefender
20Viktor FaizulinMidfielder
28Axel WitselMidfielder
34Vladimir BystrovMidfielder
11Aleksandr KerzhakovStriker
29HulkStriker
71Egor BaburinGoalkeeper
3Bruno AlvesDefender
24Aleksandar LukovicDefender
-Michael LumbDefender
18Konstantin ZyryanovMidfielder
9Alexander BukharovStriker
99Maxim KanunnikovStriker
32Christian AbbiatiGoalkeeper
17Cristian ZapataDefender
20Ignazio AbateDefender
25Daniele BoneraDefender
77Luca AntoniniDefender
10Kevin-Prince BoatengMidfielder
18Riccardo MontolivoMidfielder
8Urby EmanuelsonMidfielder
34Nigel De JongMidfielder
22Bojan KrkicStriker
92Stephan El ShaarawyMidfielder
1Marco AmeliaGoalkeeper
5Philippe MexesDefender
76Mario Alberto YepesDefender
8Antonio NocerinoMidfielder
16Mathieu FlaminiMidfielder
7RobinhoStriker
11Giampaolo PazziniStriker
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid
12 0
Robert  Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski
Striker
Dortmund
10 1
Thomas Müller Thomas Müller
Striker
Bayern
8 1
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona
8 0
Burak Yılmaz Burak Yılmaz
Striker
Galatasaray
8 0