Zenit – Krylia Sovetov

Zenit have a good chance of a clean sweep

On Friday 22 July, Zenit will play at home against Krylia Sovetov in the second round of the Russian Football League. The Petersburg side have made a poor start to the Russian league. The team tried to beat Khimki with minimal effort. It was about ten minutes short of a positive outcome. Zenit gave up the initiative and conceded a goal. The champions were far from their best game. The Petersburgers did not really attack before conceding a goal. Zenit have a huge margin over any opponent in the Russian championship, based on the class of their performers, but sometimes the star team has problems with motivation. Importantly, the rumours of Wendel's departure have not been confirmed. The Brazilian has become a key performer for Semak's squad. The transfers of winger Mantuan and goalkeeper Ivan were also officially announced this week. The attacking player can't help the team yet due to injury. The goalkeeper, on the other hand, is available to play. At the same time his debut against Krylya Sovetov is unlikely. It is likely that Semak will continue to test Odoyevsky again. Otherwise, Zenit have no significant losses in the squad. The weak spot remains in the centre of defence, where Alip is out. Krylya Sovetov were no different in the first round of the new championship. Samara took part in the most entertaining game of the tour. Krylya Sovetov scored four goals for Orenburg and now even claimed first place in the Russian league. Denis Glushenkov was the hero of the game. The footballer scored three goals. The Samara club at the same time showed their vulnerability in defense. Two goals from the recent FNL member is an alarming indicator. Nor should we overestimate the team's attacking options. The departures of Sarveli and Zinkovskiy will undoubtedly still affect them for the worse. Importantly, the club have not recruited anyone to replace them. The depth of the squad leaves much to be desired. If there are injuries, the Wings will have a very difficult season. Bookmakers are rightly making Zenit the clear favorites. At the same time, they expect a hail of goals in St. Petersburg, including from the visitors. Krylya Sovetov respect attacking football, but are unlikely to risk opening up against the champion. Plus, there are doubts that Samara will play up front in St Petersburg. Zenit are very motivated, the team will obviously want to finish the game without conceding a goal. An important factor is that Krylia have almost no one to bolster their squad from the bench. Zenit, on the other hand, with minimal advantage may try to "dry out" the game without too many negative consequences for themselves.