Preview: Zenit St Petersburg vs. Benfica

Benfica travel to Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on Wednesday with both teams knowing that they need to avoid defeat to keep their hopes of reaching the last 16 alive.

The two sides currently occupy the bottom two places in the Group C table, though they are only one point behind AS Monaco in second position and five points adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

It was Zenit who triumphed in the reverse fixture back in September as the Russians claimed a 2-0 victory in Portugal. However, they have only taken one point from a possible nine since that result, putting them in danger of failing to make the next round of the competition.

Benfica began their campaign with two defeats, but they have enjoyed a resurgence in recent weeks with a draw and a win in their last two outings. The visitors are also sure to be full of confidence for the match thanks to a run of four consecutive victories in all competitions.

The away side will be missing Eliseu and Silvio through injury, while Lisandro Lopez completes a two-game suspension. Zenit could be without Aleksandr Kerzhakov, who is doubt ahead of the game after picking up a knock during the international break

Zenit:

Form in Champions League: WWWDLL Form in all competitions: WLWLLW

Possible starting lineup: Lodygin; Anyukov, Garay, Lombaerts, Criscito; Witsel, Javi Garcia; Hulk, Danny, Shatov; Kerzhakov

Benfica:

Form in Champions League: LLDW Form in all competitions: DLWWWW

Possible starting lineup: Julio Cesar; Pereira, Luisao, Jardel, Almeida; Salvio, Perez, Samaris, Gaitan; Talisca, Derley

Sports Mole says: 1-2