Bayer Leverkusen vs Zenit St.Petersburg preview - Villas-Boas knows Leverkusen threat

Posted Tuesday, October 21, 2014 by PA

Andre Villas-Boas has called for his Zenit St Petersburg side not to compromise their own style in an attempt to shut down Bayer Leverkusen.

Zenit head to the BayArena on Wednesday looking to remain unbeaten in Champions League Group C, following victory in Benfica and a home draw against Monaco.

Leverkusen pose a new threat, focused on a high-energy pressing game in the final third, but Villas-Boas is eager not to modify his team's natural instincts too much in response.

"We want to have our own ideas. We have to understand that they are going to press and it is important for us to counter against it, but without losing our own style of play," said the Portuguese.

"We know they always start the games strong, but the end is different because when you play with that kind of intensity, it's tough to sustain it for the whole 90 minutes.

"They are a great team, which we have to keep in mind, though our goal is to not lose our own identity, to keep the ball with our own initiative and our strategy is not going to change because of how they play."

Leverkusen lie a point behind Villas-Boas' side having also seen off Benfica but lost to Monaco, leaving qualification tightly balanced between the top three sides.

Villas-Boas explained: "It will be very competitive, anything can happen and this is why it's tough to predict who can make it through.

"We have four points right now but Leverkusen managed to get a win against Benfica."

Like his opposite number, Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt knows what to expect from the match on a tactical level, telling a pre-match press conference: "Zenit enjoy a lot of possession and are particularly strong when they break at pace. We have to be prepared for this."

Schmidt added that the "prospects are good" for Germany midfielder Lars Bender, who missed the 3-3 draw at Stuttgart on Saturday.

The prospects of three team-mates look less bright, though.

"Simon Rolfes and Gonzalo Castro will definitely not be there," he added. "Whether Sebastian Boenisch is an option for the squad, however, waits to be seen but he is certainly on the road to recovery."