UEFA Champions League
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Played
December 4, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee:‬ T. Chapron‎
Attendance:‬ 29508‎
 
 
Danny 35′

AC Milan - Zenit St Petersburg Preview: Qualified Rossoneri set to rotate

The Italians booked their place in the last 16 in their fifth outing of Group C, and could take the opportunity to rest some players against the eliminated Russians

By Daniel Edwards

More On :  AC Milan, Zenit Saint Petersburg, AC Milan vs Zenit Saint Petersburg
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

MILAN

Amelia
Zapata, Yepes, Acerbi, De Sciglio
Flamini, Ambrosini, Nocerino
Boateng, Bojan, Emanuelson
ZENIT
Porto
Malafeev
Anyukov, Hubocan, Lombaerts, Criscito
Fayzulin, Shirokov, Witsel
Bystrov, Kerzhakov, Hulk

With his team already assured of second place in Group C and a spot in the knockout stages, Massimiliano Allegri has the luxury of being able to rotate his squad for Tuesday's meeting with Zenit St Petersburg.

Stephan El Shaarawy is one player who looks set for a rest as Bojan Krkic prepares himself for a start, while Mathieu Flamini and Massimo Ambrosini could make an appearance in midfield and replace first choice pairing Nigel de Jong and Riccardo Montolivo.

Fighting for pride having been eliminated from Europe's premier club competition, Luciano Spalletti will bring an attacking team back to his native Italy.

Brazil international Hulk is expected to feature in a three-man forward line, alongside Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Aleksandr Bukharov. Striker Vladimir Bystrov is suspended after being shown the red card against Malaga.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Milan need just one goal in the next match to reach the landmark figure of 400 in the Champions League, having scored an impressive 399 in the tournament including its previous incarnation as the European Cup.
  • Massimiliano Allegri's side have qualified from Group C. They cannot, however, catch Malaga who hold a three point cushion as well as a better head-to-head record over the Italians.
  • The Rossoneri took on Tuesday's rivals in Saint Petersburg in the second round of fixtures, where they squandered a two-goal lead before finally recording a 3-2 victory.
  • Milan are yet to win at home in the 2012-13 Champions League, having previously been held to draws against Malaga and Anderlecht.
  • Zenit have no mathematical chance of making the next round of the Champions League, but need a win to be sure of entering the Europa League.
  • Their last outing in the competition saw them come back from 2-0 down to rescue a draw at home to Malaga, although only a win would have been enough to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
  • Domestically, the reigning Russian Premier League champions currently lay third in the table, three points behind joint leaders Anzhi Makhachkala and CSKA Moscow.
  • Coach Luciano Spalletti is the third consecutive foreign-born trainer to occupy the Zenit hotseat, and has been in charge since December 2009.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • AC Milan 2-0 Zenit Saint Petersburg
    22.51 %
  • AC Milan 2-1 Zenit Saint Petersburg
    14.71 %
  • AC Milan 3-0 Zenit Saint Petersburg
    14.4 %
Head to Head
UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Dec 4, 2012 AC Milan 0 - Zenit Saint Petersburg 1
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UEFA Champions League ‎(UCL)‎ Oct 3, 2012 Zenit Saint Petersburg 2 - AC Milan 3
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Last Five Matches
AC Milan
May 19, 2013Siena 1 - AC Milan 2ITA1
May 12, 2013AC Milan 0 - Roma 0ITA1
May 8, 2013Pescara 0 - AC Milan 4ITA1
May 5, 2013AC Milan 1 - Torino 0ITA1
Apr 28, 2013AC Milan 4 - Catania 2ITA1
Zenit Saint Petersburg
May 19, 2013Zenit Saint Petersburg 3 - Volga Nizhny Novgorod 1RUS1
May 12, 2013Rostov 1 - Zenit Saint Petersburg 1RUS1
May 4, 2013Zenit Saint Petersburg 4 - Alania Vladikavkaz 0RUS1
Apr 28, 2013Kuban 2 - Zenit Saint Petersburg 2RUS1
Apr 21, 2013Zenit Saint Petersburg 1 - Krasnodar 0RUS1
Odds
Returns: Milan £5010.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Draw £190.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Zenit £28.00 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Team News
Available Squads
32Christian AbbiatiGoalkeeper
2Mattia De SciglioDefender
15Francesco AcerbiDefender
-Djamel MesbahMidfielder
17Cristian ZapataDefender
10Kevin-Prince BoatengMidfielder
16Mathieu FlaminiMidfielder
23Massimo AmbrosiniMidfielder
8Urby EmanuelsonMidfielder
11Giampaolo PazziniStriker
22Bojan KrkicStriker
59GabrielGoalkeeper
76Mario Alberto YepesDefender
8Antonio NocerinoMidfielder
34Nigel De JongMidfielder
7RobinhoStriker
92Stephan El ShaarawyMidfielder
-Andrea PetagnaStriker
16Vyacheslav MalafeevGoalkeeper
2Alexander AnyukovDefender
3Bruno AlvesDefender
6Nicolas LombaertsDefender
14Tomás HubocanDefender
10DannyMidfielder
15Roman ShirokovDefender
25Sergey SemakMidfielder
27Igor DenisovMidfielder
28Axel WitselMidfielder
29HulkStriker
71Egor BaburinGoalkeeper
-Ilya ZuevMidfielder
-Michael LumbDefender
18Konstantin ZyryanovMidfielder
-Aleksey EvstafeevMidfielder
77Luka ĐorđevićStriker
99Maxim KanunnikovStriker
Players to Watch
Bojan Krkic
Bojan Krkic
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 22
Games Goals YC RC
6 0 0 0
The former Barcelona youngster has performed in fits and starts since moving to Milan, but he has an excellent opportunity to show his talent as Allegri's squad rotation opens the door for him.
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 11
Games Goals YC RC
5 1 0 0
The striker's excellent domestic record in front of goal, which has sent him to the top of the goalscoring charts, has sadly not been replicated in Europe. Kerzhakov, however, will be itching to add to the one goal netted so far in the Champions League and send the Russians out on a high note.
Prediction
Even with several first team players either injured, suspended or rested, Milan are enjoying a rich vein of form and that confidence should be enough to ensure that Luciano Spalletti's return to Italy will be an unhappy one.
Editor's Prediction
Milan 2
Zenit 0
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Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid 		12 0
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Striker
Bayern 		8 1
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona 		8 0
Burak Yılmaz Burak Yılmaz
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Galatasaray 		8 0