The team led by Andre Villas Boas Portugal are third, two
points behind Bayer and one of Monaco after losing in Leverkusen. It is bound
to win if you do not want to say goodbye, once again, their aspirations to make
it big in the Champions League.
After an excellent start -Victoria 0-2 in Lisbon, the
Russian team Boas has not returned to savor neither victory nor what it means
to score a goal, because then drew at home to Monaco and lost two weeks ago in
Leverkusen (2-0).
A new slip would be very difficult things to the
Russians, who seem to be accusing a physical letdown, as they had to compete in
the preliminary stage of the "Champions" in August.
The Brazilian was unstoppable Hulk just a month ago, but
now is again the individualistic player, while the Portuguese Danny lacks
continuity and Venezuela's Salomon Rondon has scored in just the past few
weeks.
It just seems to keep the guy's defense Ezequiel Garay to
the head, as demonstrated on the weekend before the CSKA match which Zenit
strengthened its leadership in the Russian league with a major victory in the
hostile Moscow (0 -1).
Again proved providential Spanish Javi Garcia, who scored
the only goal at the far post off a corner, his third league goal since joining
the team from the former imperial capital.
Bayer Leverkusen comes after a difficult week in which he
had trouble passing round of the German Cup on penalties to defeat a second
division team, Magdeburg, and fall into the 1-0 Bundesliga Hamburg.
Furthermore, the extension to the Magdeburg brought a
physical and mental exhaustion that Leverkusen takes as mortgage to St.
Petersburg.
In the first leg Leverkusen completely neutralized the
attack of Zenit. However, Schmidt has warned that this precedent should not
create overconfidence.
On Tuesday Leverkusen will be without Brazilian Wendell,
a key player in the way that, at left, virtually took the game to his
compatriot Hulk.
