Zenit St. Petersburg seek revenge in their Champions League match Wednesday against the tournament’s surprise package, APOEL.
The Cypriots are top of Group G and know a win in Russia will guarantee a place in the knockout stages.
APOEL shocked Zenit with a 2-1 win in Nicosia on match day one in September, paving the way for two creditable draws and another surprise victory, over Portuguese heavyweights Porto earlier this month.
A draw Wednesday combined with a defeat for Porto at bottom team Shakhtar Donetsk will see both APOEL and Zenit through.
Coach Luciano Spalletti warned that APOEL will find a team with a different mentality waiting in the northern capital.
“The psychological state of the team has changed absolutely,” he said. “In Cyprus it was our first match in the competition, and we knew we were up against a strong side. … Maybe we didn’t quite use the right tactics.”
Zenit still have top scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov out through a long-term ankle injury, and there is a question mark over Danny. The Portuguese forward only returned to action as a substitute in Thursday’s 0-0 league draw with Anzhi Makhachkala after time out with a ligament injury.
APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic, meanwhile, has doubts over the fitness of Brazilian striker Ailton, scorer of the second goal in Nicosia, and utility man Niktarios Alexandrou, who has a calf problem.
The Cypriots are without first-choice goalkeeper Dionises Chiotis and wingback William Boaventura.
The form guide makes the match a tough one to call. Zenit have won their last nine European matches at home, but APOEL have tasted away defeat just once this season in the Champions League, including the qualifying rounds.
