Zenit St.Petersburg vs Monaco preview - AVB denies Kerzhakov rift

Posted Tuesday, September 30, 2014 by PA

Zenit St Petersburg boss Andre Villas-Boas has denied suggestions of a rift with Aleksandr Kerzhakov ahead of their Champions League clash with Monaco.

The striker was axed for Saturday's 0-0 draw with Spartak Moscow - the first points Zenit have dropped this season.

But Villas-Boas rejected claims of any problems with Kerzhakov, the record goalscorer in Russian domestic football, before Wednesday's game at the Petrovsky Stadium.

"We don't have any conflict, no. We had a talk before the match and I explained to him my reasons for not putting him in the line-up, but I don't want to make that public," he told reporters.

"Right now we are waiting to see what happens. Kerzhakov is a very strong player, a part of Zenit, and we expect that he will be training with us in the future, proving his right to be on the field.

"Kerzhakov is not injured, he's always been in good shape. We are waiting for him to continue to battle for his spot and I hope that everything will be fine."

Zenit impressively beat Benfica 2-0 in Portugal to start their Group C campaign this month and are top of the Russian Premier League.

They have only lost four of their 49 European home games, winning 30 of them, and have Viktor Fayzulin available after a ban.

Monaco, back in the Champions League after nine years, are aiming to build on their opening win over Bayer Leverkusen, where Joao Moutinho sealed a 1-0 victory.

Lacina Traore (hamstring), Borja Lopez (knee) and Aymen Abdennour (thigh) are out for Leonardo Jardim's side, and midfielder Bernardo Silva expects Zenit to test them.

"The game against Zenit is going to be extremely tough. It's always tricky to travel to Russia. There's a lot of travelling involved," he told AS Monaco TV.

"Apart from that, there's always a big atmosphere in Russia. And there's the difference in the conditions to manage, too.

"This is probably the best Zenit side for a few seasons. They're very strong."