Wednesday 20/08/2014, 20:45, Champions League Qualifiers, Standard Liege vs Zenit St Petersburg

Standard Liege vs Zenit St Petersburg Preview

Standard Liege was simply impressive in June and July and it looked like their positive streak would extend deep into August. This was obviously not the case, as they lost both Belgian championship games and allowed their opponents to score a total of six goals while only finding their way to the next twice. Tonight they take on Zenit St Petersburg and the Russians have good reasons to be optimistic after winning five games in a row.

Standard Liege vs Zenit St Petersburg Odds

At Totepool

Standard Liege 3.80, Draw 3.60, Zenit St Petersburg 2.00

Standard Liege vs Zenit St Petersburg Tips

Zenit St Petersburg is the only team in the domestic championship to have won all four games so far and they are comfortable leading the tables. The most recent two games were narrow margin victories, but Zenit started the season with two emphatic victories in which they scored a combined 12 goals.

Hulk, Rondon and Shatov scored twice and it came as no surprise that they all featured in the starting formation in the next couple of games. Danny was also among those who scored, although he only managed to put one in the net but he plays a critical role in the center of the midfield.

Manager Villas-Boas is a creature of habit who uses the same starting formation which might look a bit surprising. It seems to be a 4-5-1 fortress, but the midfield is frequently assisting Rondon upfront, with the player from Venezuela being the only striker. In the second leg, Zenit is very likely to shift to a more offensive 4-3-3 starting formation with Hulk, Danny and Kerhzkov upfront.

For the time being, the Belgian side needs to take the initiative and leave it shall, in an attempt of scoring, because otherwise they will have an impossible mission on the road. Camargo and Watt are very likely to play together in the offensive, as they both scored in the last championship game, even though their effort was rendered useless by the permeable defensive.

Key Facts

• The two teams met before in a European championship, with Standard Liege drawing the first leg and losing on the road.
• Zenit could settle for a draw in Brussels and they won't take too many chances if the score remained unchanged by half time.

Standard Liege vs Zenit St Petersburg Prediction

This is a match of critical importance for the home side, but despite having home pitch advantage their chances to win are not that great. Zenit is favorite tonight, but with bookmakers underpricing them heavily, it is not worth placing this bet. A smarter choice would be to bet on Standard Liege or Draw at 1.80 with Totepool, but those who choose this wager should act now, as the odds will surely drop.

Bet: Standard Liege or Draw @ 1.80 with Totepool