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| Wednesday, 28 September 2011 08:29 |
Preview: Zenit St Petersburg – FC PortoDragons look to maintain 100% Russian record After a winning start to their Champions League campaign against Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto have packed their bags and jetted over 3,000 kilometres to St Petersburg, where they will face current Russian Premier League and Cup champions Zenit; described by Vitor Pereira as “one of the strongest teams in Europe.”
The trek east provides the filling to what was always going to be a tricky-to-digest scheduling sandwich for the Dragons, with Benfica and in-form Academica as the bread. Porto’s record in Russia is an unblemished one, with four victories in four visits, but Wednesday’s game promises to be their toughest test yet. Of course, the format of the Champions League often means that three home wins and an away draw are enough to seal a place in the round of sixteen, and following the victory over Shakhtar earlier this month, the Dragons are three-tenths of the way there, with five matches remaining. Momentum, momentum, momentumBut momentum is one of football’s vital ingredients, and after being denied three points by Benfica on Friday, Vitor Pereira will not want to see his side’s confidence suffer any additional knocks. The 19-man squad that made the trip reads as follows:Bracali, Helton; Maicon, Mangala, Otamendi, Rolando, Alvaro Pereira, Fucile; Belluschi, Defour, Fernando, Moutinho, Souza; Djalma, James, Hulk, Kleber, Rodriguez, Varela.  The only notable absentee for the Dragons is Guarin, who has one game of the suspension picked up in the Super Cup against Barcelona remaining. Vitor Pereira has used Steven Defour sparingly so far this season, and will have to choose between the Belgian and Fernando Belluschi alongside Moutinho in midfield. Fernando was particularly effective against Benfica during the first half at the Dragao, and given the quality that Zenit possess, may keep his place ahead of Souza. Danny the danger manOne player who Porto will need to keep a particularly close eye on is Portuguese international and Zenit playmaker Danny. The Venezuelan-born midfielder has a decent record against the Dragons: in three outings for Maritimo, he was on the winning side once, the losing side once, with the other meeting ending in a 2-2 draw. Danny was also an unused substitute for Sporting in a 3-0 loss at the Dragao in 2004. Whilst Danny has arguably never shown his best for Portugal (a fact that can be attributed to formational preferences as much as his personal performances), at club level he is very much the hub of Luciano Spalletti’s side. Although the Italian tactician often selects a forward trio of Danko Lazovic, Alexander Kerzhakov and Danny, the latter is given licence to roam, dropping deep to start moves, and also adopting more central positions further forward on occasion. An elegant creative presence with or without the ball at his feet, Danny’s ability to find space may cause Porto’s defence some trouble, particularly if the Dragons set up with their customary high line. Zenit are among the finest counterpunching sides in this year’s Champions League, meaning that ball retention must be a priority. Zenit’s inside man Although these two have never met, Spalletti will not have to scour his contact book for information on his opponents. Bruno Alves might be suspended after being dismissed at APOEL a fortnight ago, but the former Porto captain has been the go-to player for Portugal’s press, and confirmed to O Jogo earlier this week that “I told him [Spalletti] that Porto know how to play good football, like to have the ball and have an organised defence.”Alves also picked out Hulk as the main threat to Zenit’s back line, which is the meanest in Russia this year, having shipped 21 in 25 games (Zenit are two points clear of CSKA at the top of the table, with five rounds remaining). The Brazilian will likely be up against Domenico Criscito, and Alves had some novel advice for his Italian colleague: “I told him to not let him [Hulk] turn green.” Realistically, the only outcome that would have Vitor Pereira green at the gills would be a loss. The taxing length of the trip, along with the quality of the opposition, are such that returning to Portugal with a point would be an excellent result, and one that would set Porto up nicely in Group G. Of course, it is not in the nature of either coach or team to seek only a draw, but the counter-attacking stylings of Zenit ought to have Pereira on his guard, as Porto seek to maintain a challenge on all fronts. Ben Shave |
This means that the squad looks a little lop sided. Instead of paying so much for two players that wont be used this year , maybe the team would have benefited from another striker, to back up an inexperienced Kleber.
Walter looks like a waste of money - consequently the team look a little short of fire power.
With this sort of disjointed strategy - it looks like PDC is planning more for next season. Vitor Pereira is doing a decent job, I hope he doesn't end up being the fall guy for the president's mistakes.
FORCA PORTO!
Porto played great verse Benfica, and yes a draw was good enough for us and disapointing for them.
Before that match, I was critical of some of Pereiras comments in the media.
"I haven't watched any Benfica games"
" I don;t want to overwhelm squad with tactics'
"I don;t want to ruin what I have is hand"
etc...
Then coming at the heels of this match, he comes out says;
O clássico frente ao Benfica já tem mais de quatro dias, mas Vítor Pereira voltou hoje a referir; "O FC Porto sentiu que perdeu dois pontos e é isso que nos distingue da outra equipa, para quem o empate foi de alívio e de festejo. Da nossa parte, não ficámos satisfeitos",
I don't disagree with the statement, but I do find troubling in regards to be timing. Even if he was asked ablut the match once again, he could and should have dismissed it. He could and should have put the focus back on the CL match, which is much more important.
JJ has been killed, and rightly so, for his comments. But Pereira, in my opinion, is also finding it difficult.
I would be happy with a draw. Zenit are under a lot of pressure to win after that shock defeat in Cyprus. If we can keep Danny & Kerzhakov quiet then I think we have a good chance to get a positive result.