All to Play for in St Petersburg
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The Round of 32 UEFA Europa League second leg matches take place this week and Scottish champions Celtic travel to Russia to play Zenit St Petersburg.
The first leg was contested in Glasgow last week and it was Celtic who came out on top, winning the match 1-0.
This gives the Scottish club something to hold on to and they will be aiming to score what could be a vital away goal. Zenit St Petersburg know a clean sheet is going to be vital to their chances of success in this game.
Zenit St Petersburg are at a disadvantage in that they have not played a competitive match for some time and it showed in their performance in the first leg of this tie. The 1-0 loss at Celtic Park was Zenit St Petersburg’s first defeat in nine games but six of those matches were friendlies and not at the same level as a competitive match.
However, Zenit St Petersburg have been difficult to beat this season and have lost only two of their last 9 competitive games.
At home, Zenit St Petersburg have won each of their last three competitive games, one of which was a 2-1 victory over Vardar in the Europa League. The Russians have won each of their last four home Europa League games, scoring 2 or more goals in each of them but conceding once in each of the last three.
Celtic were delighted with their performance in the first leg of this tie on home soil and it was arguably their best performance in Europe this season. It was a great display by the Hoops but they need to produce something similar in this match if they are to qualify.
Brendan Rodgers’ team were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home by St Johnstone on the weekend but Celtic had one eye on this match as they have the league title within their grasp domestically.
Expect to see players including James Forrest, Moussa Dembele and Kieran Tierney coming back into the starting XI for this game.
Away from home in Europe this season, Celtic have won three and lost three of their six games. While this seems like a decent record, two of the wins came in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and Celtic were thrashed at Paris Saint-Germain and lost 3-0 at Bayern Munich.
Team news and Zenit St Petersburg have Denis Terentjev, who has not featured since November, returning to full fitness and he could come back into the starting XI for this match. Branislav Ivanovic will be hoping to start having been on the bench in the first leg.
Celtic travel to Russia without the injured quartet of Leigh Griffiths, Craig Gordon, Dedryck Boyata and Jonny Hayes. Rodgers is expected to name the same starting XI from the first leg.
Celtic showed they can compete with this Zenit St Petersburg team in the first leg but playing away from home has always proved tough for the Scottish club. Zenit St Petersburg should come out on top in a close contest and much will depend on Celtic’s ability to score an away goal.
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