Borussia Dortmund host Zenit St. Petersburg in must win game: Champions League Preview

UEFA Champions League football returns to the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday as Borussia Dortmund host Zenit Saint Petersburg in a must-win game for both teams.

Following their match-day one defeat to Lazio, Borussia Dortmund cannot afford to go two games without a win in the UEFA Champions League group stage. While many expected the group to be a cake walk for Lucien Favre’s side, Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg could provide a tough opposition, especially if their dangerous attacking players are on song.

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Borussia Dortmund

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Borussia Dortmund issued the perfect response to the Lazio defeat by cruising to a 3-0 win over rivals Schalke 04 on Saturday. Goals from Manuel Akanji, Erling Haaland and Mats Hummels gave the Black and Yellows a comfortable victory, and Lucien Favre was also able to rest a number of key players including Marco Reus and Axel Witsel.

While there are still four more games to go in the group stage after their game against Zenit, Borussia Dortmund can ill-afford to suffer defeat on Wednesday.

Zenit Saint Petersburg

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Zenit began their Champions League campaign with a narrow 2-1 defat to Club Brugge. And they followed that up with another defeat at the weekend, losing 2-1 to Rubin Kazan despite taking the lead in the first half. While their recent form has not been the best, Zenit have a number of quality players in their ranks who could hurt Dortmund on Wednesday.

The Russian Premier League champions will also be determined to taste victory on matchday two, which could make for a tight contest between the two sides.