ZEN vs DOR Fantasy Preview:
Zenit Saint Petersburg will be hosting Borussia Dortmund at Krestovsky Stadium on Tuesday for their Champions League duel. Zenit has so far run hot and cold in the recent outings which has seen them drawing with Arsenal Tula, getting tamed by Club Brugge and thrashing Ural in a lopsided encounter. Currently placed in the rock-bottom of the points table, Zenit will be raring to salvage prestige from what eventually is a dead-rubber for them.
Dortmund has also been going through a winless streak in the last three games that has seen the Yellow Wall drawing with Lazio, Eintracht Frankfurt and losing to FC Koln. Lucien Favre’s frowns have intensified over the last week as the team’s attacking force has seen pretty dried up without the likes of their main marksman, Erling Halaand.
This game will be the best chance for Lucian Favre to get a shot in his arm before his team indulges in the knock-out affairs with other stalwarts of Europe. On the contrary, Zenit’s dream run in the preceding edition of their national league has already been soured with the ongoing form and if this match turns out into another draw or loss, which is the most likely outcome, it will be a tough ride back home for the outfit. These are our fantasy picks for the upcoming game between Zenit and Dortmund.
Match details:
Zenit Saint Petersburg vs Borussia Dortmund
11:25 PM
ZEN vs DOR: Head to head
These two teams share a fairly balanced equation as Dortmund has managed two victories out of the three games that they have been a part of while Zenit has managed to win one game. The most recent fixture between these two contingencies have seen Dortmund thrashing Zenit by an emphatic margin of 2-0 as English speedster, Jadon Sancho and Erling Halaand found the back of the net.
ZEN vs DOR Probable Teams:
Zenit Saint Petersburg: Mikhail Kerzhakov, Aleksei Sutormin, Danila Prokhin, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Douglas Santos, Daler Kuzyayev, Wilmar Barrios, Aleksandr Yerokhin, Malcom, Sardar Azmoun, Sebastian Driussi
Borussia Dortmund: Roman Burki, Lukasz Piszczek, Mats Hummels, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Mateu Morey, Jude Bellingham, Mahmoud Dahoud, Nico Schulz, Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt, Marco Reus
Picks to consider:
Marco Reus is one of the diciest players to be on the pitch as his presence can intimidate the opponents at any given point in time. Not only is he an adept creator but his predatory instincts have been equally laudable over the years.
Julian Brandt hasn’t been that sharp that one would expect him to be but he has shown a fair bit of skill up front and if fed with good balls, he can be a potent marksman too.
Captaincy Choices:
1. Marco Reus
2. Sebastian Driussi
Match Prediction: Who will win today?
Borussia Dortmund will undoubtedly be the clear favourites to win this game given the strength that they possess in their attacking ranks. However, given the sense of urgency in salvaging the prestige that Zenit will have up their sleeves may lead to an upset, however, this is quite a rare event, to be honest.
