Domenico Criscito sidelined for six months

Zenit St Petersburg have been rocked by the news that Italian international Domenico Criscito has been ruled out for at least six months.

Criscito suffered a cruciate ligament tear in a friendly against Siena last Thursday and has been booked for surgery this week to repair the damage.

Zenit boss Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that he will be without the full-back for the rest of this season.

He told the club's official website: "Mimmo (Criscito) tore cruciate ligaments and will need to undergo surgery."

The Russian champions will begin life without Criscito in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie with FC Basel in midweek.