Preview: Zenit St Peterseburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen make the trip to Russia on Tuesday knowing that a victory over Zenit St Petersburg will put them on the cusp of a spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Roger Schmidt's side have won two of their three Group C fixtures, and claimed top spot a fortnight ago by beating Zenit 2-0.

Confidence was high after that result, but they head into their latest challenge on the back of a shock 1-0 defeat to Hamburger SV on Saturday afternoon.

However, major changes seem to be unlikely, with Schmidt expected to keep faith with the players who have performed impressively in Europe this season.

Zenit have won twice domestically since their loss in Germany two weeks ago, and Andre-Villas Boas watched his side claim top spot in the Russian league with a 1-0 victory over CSKA Moscow on Sunday.

Salomon Rondon was an unused substitute in that game, but reports have suggested that the Colombian could return to the team to replace Aleksandr Kerzhakov on Tuesday evening.

Recent form

Zenit: DDLWLW

Bayer Leverkusen: DDWWWL

Possible starting lineups

Zenit: Lodygin, Garay, Anyukov, Lombaerts, Criscito, Javi Garcia, Danny, Ryazantsev, Witsel, Rondon, Hulk

Bayer Leverkusen: Leno, Spahich, Papadopoulos, Wendell, Donati, Bender, Toprak, Bellarabi, Son, Calhanoglu, Kiessling

Sports Mole says: 2-1