Zenit St. Petersburg takes on FC Basel in the Round of 16 in the Europa League.
Zenit St. Petersburg had a disastrous run in the Champions League. The team lost to Malaga and Milan in its first two matches before knocking off Anderlecht 1-0 in the third match. That win was wiped out by another 1-0 loss to the Belgium squad and St. Petersburg never recovered during the remainder of the group stage despite a win and draw in the final two games. In the round of 32, St. Petersburg won its first game against Liverpool 2-0 but lost the second 3-1. The team passes on to the Round of 16 by virtue of its away goal.
They will face an upstart FC Basel team that knocked off a potent Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the round of 32. "For the first time for many years, we have eliminated a top club in the knockout phase. This is another milestone in the club's history," said club president Bernhard Heusler.
He added, "That our young team has defied this strong team, there can be a cruel pride.''
Basel started the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Sporting CP before tying Genk 2-2. Videoton defeated Basel 2-1 in the third game, but Basel returned the favor with a 1-0 win in the fourth game. Basel strengthened its position with a 3-0 win in the fifth game over Sporting CP and then drew 0-0 with Genk in its final group stage game. In the first game against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Basel won the first game 2-0 and then drew 1-1 in the second leg.
Prediction: The two teams battle to a 0-0 draw.
Start Time: 3:05 PM EST
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Watch Live Stream HERE.
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