MTNFootball

Zenit St Petersburg’s home record is one thing the Rossoneri will fear when they meet Luciano Spalletti’s side in match day two.

The match will take place at the Petrovski Stadium, on Wednesday evening, with kick off set for 18h00 (CAT).

One man who will certainly be smiling in the clash of Italian bosses is the familiar foe of Spalletti, who boasts a highly impressive personal record against the Italian giants, and will want to expand this with his current side.

Having overseen a good run of results against the Rossoneri, when directing off the bench of Roma, the Italian tactician can only but favour his chances coming up against the struggling 2007 Champions.

Zenit’s impressive European run at the Petrovski Stadium has seen them become a force to be feared, with their last defeat stretching as far back as 2008, when they narrowly lost 2-1 to Real Madrid.

On the other side of the field, Milan’s confidence is yet to start brewing as they have only managed to secure seven points in six games so far this season.

The mass exodus of players over the summer hasn’t been aided by the latest bought of injuries to have hit the club.

Alexandre Pato continues to find himself sidelined with his 17th career injury at Milan, while Kevin-Prince Boateng is yet to get into form after undergoing surgery on his hand, two weeks into the season.

One positive factor is the emergence of the two youngsters: Stephan El Shaarawy and Mattia Di Sciglio. The duo has featured in nearly every game this season with the former striking four goals in three games for the Rossoneri.

A personal mini derby will be going down on the sidelines between Spalletti and Massimilano Allegri, as they both hail from Tuscany and will be looking to claim bragging rights on the night.

The Italian affair will make for a challenging night for both sides and with Milan currently two points adrift of the Russian giants, they cannot afford but to go all out on the night in hope of securing the three points.