Zenit v Leipzig background
Zenit will wish that their superb home form in a UEFA Europa League comes to their rescue for a second unbroken turn as they find to overturn a 2-1 first-leg necessity opposite European newcomers Leipzig in this last-16 tie.
• Zenit, who surfaced Group L in a autumn, overturned a 1-0 first-leg better during Celtic in a turn of 32, defeating a Scottish champions 3-0 in St Petersburg to strech a turn of 16 for a record-equalling fourth time.
• Leipzig, who finished third in their UEFA Champions League group, enjoyed a conspicuous UEFA Europa League debut, winning 3-1 in Naples in a initial leg of a turn of 32. Although degraded 2-0 during home in a return, a German bar survived pleasantness of a divided goals rule.
Previous meetings
• Second-half strikes from Bruma and Timo Werner – a Germany striker’s sixth idea in Europe this season, and initial during home – looked to have given Leipzig a wilful advantage as a initial leg entered a shutting stages. However, on 86 mins an artistic free-kick from Zenit left-back Domenico Criscito gave a visitors a changed divided idea to move behind to St Petersburg.
• The dual clubs had never met in European foe before a initial leg, Leipzig’s initial confront with Russian opposition.
• Zenit’s home record in 8 fixtures opposite German teams is W2 D1 L5, with defeats in a dual many new – 2014 UEFA Champions League games opposite Borussia Dortmund (2-4) and Bayer Leverkusen (1-2).
• Their many distinguished home win opposite Bundesliga antithesis occurred in a 2007/08 UEFA Cup semi-final, when they overcame Bayern München 4-0 in St Petersburg after a 1-1 pull in Munich. Dick Advocaat’s side went on to win a trophy, defeating Rangers 2-0 in a final.
Form guide
• Zenit have never mislaid during home in a UEFA Europa League, organisation theatre to final, winning 17 of their 18 matches in St Petersburg, a usually difference a 2-2 pull opposite Sevilla in a 2014/15 quarter-finals. They have won 12 of their final 14 home games in European competition, losing two.
• Zenit have mislaid dual of their final 10 UEFA outings (W7 D1) – a 1-0 better during Celtic and a initial leg during Leipzig. The 3-0 home win in a lapse leg gave a Russian bar their initial purify piece in 7 games, carrying conceded one idea in any of a prior six.
• Zenit are personification prime European football for a eighth year in a row. This is a fifth deteriorate during that method in that they have participated in a UEFA Europa League knockout phase.
• The Russian side were successful during this theatre of a UEFA Europa League in 2014/15, expelling Torino 2-1 on aggregate, though unsuccessful to swell to a quarter-finals on their prior dual turn of 16 appearances, going out to FC Twente in 2010/11 and Basel in 2012/13. They have mislaid all 4 of their divided games during this stage, unwell to find a net in any of them until Criscito’s late strike in Leipzig.
• Zenit finished third in final season’s Russian joining and reached a UEFA Europa League organisation theatre after overcoming Bnei Yehuda in a third subordinate turn and Utrecht in a play-offs – both on 2-1 sum margins, a latter after additional time.
• Having mislaid their initial dual European divided fixtures – during BeÅŸiktaÅŸ (0-2) and Porto (1-3) – Leipzig have won a final two, violence Monaco 4-1 in a organisation theatre and Napoli 3-1 in a initial leg of a turn of 32.
• Leipzig gained involuntary entrance into a 2017/18 UEFA Champions League after finishing runners-up to Bundesliga champions Bayern München during a finish of their entrance deteriorate in Germany’s tip flight. They are a usually bar to have played their initial European tie in a UEFA Champions League organisation stage.
• Zenit have mislaid a divided initial leg in 16 prior UEFA foe ties, recuperating during home to win a tie on 6 occasions, many recently opposite Celtic in this season’s turn of 32. When they have mislaid a initial leg on a highway by a 2-1 scoreline, they have left by once – opposite Young Boys (3-1 home) in a 2010/11 UEFA Europa League turn of 32 – though been separated twice, many recently by Sevilla in that 2014/15 UEFA Europa League quarter-final (2-2 home).
Links and trivia
• Zenit are a top-scoring organisation in a competition, organisation theatre and knockout proviso combined, with 21 goals.
• Leipzig became a 204th bar to contest in a UEFA Europa League, organisation theatre to final – and a record 17th from Germany – when they eliminated over from a UEFA Champions League in a winter.
• Zenit are one of 3 Russian clubs, alongside CSKA Moskva and Lokomotiv Moskva, competing in a turn of 16 – a largest illustration of any nation. Last deteriorate Belgium had a many teams in both a turn of 16 (three) and a quarter-finals (two). Russia has never formerly boasted some-more than one quarter-finalist in a singular campaign.
• Leipzig’s Kevin Kampl is a Slovenian inhabitant team-mate of Zenit’s Miha Mevlja.
• Zenit brazen Dmitri Poloz scored his initial general idea for Russia past Leipzig goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi in a 3-0 win opposite Hungary in Jun 2017. Igor Smolnikov, Yuri Zhirkov and Aleksandr Erokhin also played for Russia in that Budapest friendly.
• Gulácsi has played each notation of Leipzig’s 9 European games this season.
• Werner has scored 5 goals in Leipzig’s final 3 European divided fixtures – one during Porto, dual during Monaco and dual during Napoli.
• In Aug 1994, Leipzig manager Ralph Hasenhüttl played for Austria in a 0-3 accessible better to Russia in Klagenfurt, with Igor Simutenkov, Zenit’s stream partner coach, completing a scoring from a chastisement spot.
• This is Zenit’s eighth compare in a UEFA Europa League turn of 16, equalling a foe record jointly hold by Benfica and Valencia.
• Zenit’s sum of 6 wins in this season’s competition, organisation theatre to final, is a corner top in a foe along with Arsenal and Lyon.
Penalty shoot-outs
• Zenit and Leipzig have nonetheless to underline in a UEFA chastisement shoot-out.
The coaches
• Former Italy general brazen Roberto Mancini took assign of Zenit in Jun 2017. A Serie A and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup leader as a actor with both Sampdoria and Lazio, he coached Internazionale and Manchester City to domestic joining championships, and some-more recently claimed a Turkish Cup delight with Galatasaray. He has won 12 domestic cups in sum as a actor and manager.
• Former Austrian general striker Ralph Hasenhüttl was allocated as RB Leipzig manager following their graduation to a Bundesliga in 2016, and he strike a belligerent running, remaining dominant in his initial 13 joining games en track to running a bar to a runners-up mark in their entrance top-flight campaign. His prior coaching posts have all been in Germany – during Unterhaching, Aalen and Ingolstadt.