Lille – Zenit S:t Petersburg, UEFA Cup, Group H

2004-11-04 20.45 CET

Pick:       Lille

Stake:     2%

Odds:      1,75

Final reasons

Tonight it is time for the second match in the first group stage of the UEFA Cup. French top team Lille will play host to Russian top team Zenit S:t Petersburg. This is a must win match for the French side since they lost against Alemannia Aachen in their first match of the group. Lille underachieved against the Bundesliga 2 side and it was quite obvious that they underestimated their opponents. This was Lille’s first defeat since August. They are flying in the French Ligue 1 this season; currently they are in the second position only one point after league leaders Lyon. They are so far the best home side with six wins and one draw from seven attempts. On the road they have a much worse record with only two victories from five attempts. Therefore we do not take so much attention about their less impressive performance against the German side Aachen in the UEFA Cup; it is at home they will show that they are a good team and we believe that Zenit S:t Petersburg will suffer from this fact. Zenit S:t Petersburg is also a side, like all countries from the Nordic regions, that is very dependent on their home form. The harsh weather in this part of the world is always a big advantage for Russian teams since most visitors are not used to play under these tough conditions. This was very apparent in their first match in this group stage when they outplayed Greek side AEK Athen at home with 5-1. However, tonight they will play on the road against a good French side and this will show that the Russians are not as good as their latest result. Lille will once again be without midfielder Mathieu Chalme and they also have minor doubts over striker Matt Moussilou (most probably he will participate). Zenit on the other hand will miss both striker Lukáš Hartig and midfielder Radek Šírl.

// SportsObserver 041104