Zenit St Petersburg vs RB Leipzig Predictions

Zenit play host to Leipzig on Tuesday evening, as they look to take control of Group G. The visitors will be hoping to remain out in front, which would require at least a point.

The Russians come into this fixture off the back of a 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow at the weekend. Despite being the dominant side, Zenit failed to produce enough end product, which is a worry ahead of a game against a Leipzig side that has been in fine scoring form of late. Not only did the German outfit run wild in the final third a few days ago, they also came out on top (2-1) when this pair met in the reverse fixture a fortnight ago.

Fortunately for the hosts, Gazprom Arena is a very tough place for non-Russian sides to go, as is illustrated by the fact Zenit have lost just two of their 23 continental home matches since 2015.

This will be Zenit’s second home match of the current Champions League campaign. First time out at this venue, they got the better of Benfica in style, winning by three goals to one. They had moments of weakness at the back, but looked a real threat going forward and did the better job of both teams creating chances and producing end product.

However, creating chances and coming up with the finishing touches is something Leipzig have also done very well this term. Tuesday’s visitors notched twice on route to beating Zenit in Germany a fortnight ago, while they come into this fixture having scored no less than eight goals in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. What’s more, their first away match in Group G yielded three points, as they got the better of Benfica, winning by two goals to one.

When the pair met two weeks ago, although three goals were scored, there wasn’t an abundance of final-third quality on show. In fact, they cancelled each other out somewhat. Keeping this in mind, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ appeals ahead of this match. The early prices would suggest a high-scoring game is likely, though there are reasons to suggest the chances of a relatively low-scoring affair are greater than the current odds would have us believe.

Not only was the reverse fixture slightly fortunate to be dealt three goals, Leipzig didn’t create an awful lot when playing away in Benfica; despite scoring twice, they only registered only three shots on target. Moreover, Zenit really didn’t give a great deal away in their only previous group match at this venue.

Ultimately, with not a great deal jumping out in terms of price, backing a low-scoring game at least appears to offer punters a slice of value. Those looking to nail the scoreline are pointed in the direction of a narrow win for the hosts, who were unlucky to concede when first playing at home in Group G.