ZENIT LOOK TO KEEP UNBEATEN RUN ALIVE AGAINST ANZHI

After a long hiatus, the Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia returns to play on Sunday as league leaders Zenit Saint Petersburg make the trip to the North Caucasus region to face Anzhi Makhachkala.


In the make-up match of week eleven, Luciano Spalletti's Saint Petersburg side hold a narrow one-point lead over CSKA and are without a loss this year. Following the Russian Cup victory, Zenit look on a confident course towards the double and showing few notable weaknesses. Though it is easy to poke holes in the less than notable attacking output, with only thirteen goals in ten contests, the well-disciplined play has Zenit poised for European competition.

Clearly, the Italian tactician has prioritized the defending aspect first and as they begin to gel on the attacking front, they will be a formidable unit not simply domestically but have a chance to push deep into the Champions League.

Unsatisfied with the production of Alexandr Kerzhakov, Zenit is said to have agreed to terms to see Alexndr Bukharov arrive from Rubin Kazan in August, seemingly making the former expendable. Though the club has yet to have any formal signings, they are extremely busy in the transfer market and announcements seem imminent.

While the horizon for Zenit is highly optimistic, on Sunday they face a unique test in Makhachkala. Unsure of the availability of Danny, returning from Portugal's disappointing World Cup performance, Zenit should expect a compact defending front from Gadzhi Gadzhiev’s side. Displaying a tough defending front, they held Dynamo to a 1-1 draw in the final match before the break and have recently demonstrated an ability to gut out results.

Knowing they are in the thick of a relegation battle, the veteran leader will not be shy of locking down the contest and forcing Zenit to push forward, thus opening up the counter. Though Zenit is not short on attacking quality, that includes the emergence of Russian U21 striker Maxim Kanunnikov and should come out with the full three points, they will need to be aggressive going forward.