The Portuguese striker urges the Russian outfit’s defence to put up a decent effort in the UEFA Champions League encounter against SL Benfica
Bruno Alves, who joined Zenit St. Petersburg from FC Porto during the 2009/10 Russian Premier League campaign, has urged his teammates to work harder for the upcoming UEFA Champions League match against SL Benfica.
The Portuguese national admitted that Benfica have a decent squad at their disposal and gave the example of Oscar Cardozo.
The 28-year-old forward has been in rich Primeira Liga form, helping the Portuguese outfit claim the top spot with 13 goals in 16 outings.
“I played against him several times. He is a good striker, a real striker. But as a defender my main task is to stop the ball before it reaches the striker. Cardozo usually sneaks behind the defenders in the penalty area and we
need to stop him.” The Russian Cup winner was quoted as saying.
Alves went on to comment on the home advantage and said:
“I am sure that the conditions in St. Petersburg will trouble Benfica. They will find it very difficult. And we're playing in front of our fans, in familiar surroundings. We have a clear idea about what to do in this weather.”
The European encounter is scheduled for February 15, 2012, at Petrovsky stadium.
The Eagles are yet to lose a European encounter this term. Benfica shocked the world with their impressive performances after playing a vital role to eliminate the former Champions League finalists, Manchester United, by claiming
points against the Red devils both home and away.
Zenit, on the other hand, managed to qualify for the round-of-16 by claiming a solitary point in the last group stage away game against the Portuguese outfit, Porto. Furthermore, they are now without Roman Shirokov (muscle injury),
Aleksandr Bukharov (recovering from hamstring) and Danny Miguel (knee injury).
Though Alves has lamented the situation, he believes that the Russian outfit is still capable of delivering a notable performance in the upcoming match and assured the fans of recording a fantastic result at home.