SL Benfica vs Zenit St.Petersburg - Witsel fears effects of Russian winter break

Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2016 by PA

Axel Witsel admits he and his Zenit St Petersburg team-mates could struggle with the physical demands of playing a Champions League knockout tie at his old club Benfica in the middle of Russia's winter break.

Zenit upset the odds and qualified for the last 16 of the competition at a canter.

Andre Villas-Boas' side only tasted defeat on one occasion, in their final group game - a dead rubber - against Gent.

That match on December 9 was the last time Villas-Boas' men have played a competitive match, however, as the Russian Super League then embarked upon a winter break that ends next month.

Witsel is hoping for a memorable return to his old club, but acknowledges it may end up being a different story if Zenit cannot cope with the demands of such a tough fixture after two months off.

"It will be a tough game," said Witsel, who spent a year at Benfica before joining Zenit in 2012.

"The stadium will be full and I expect a good welcome from the Benfica fans. It will be our first competitive game of 2016 so we know it will be tough physically.

"We need to be ready and remember that there is a second leg in St Petersburg."

In total, three former Benfica players will be lining up against their old team in Tuesday's first leg.

As well as Witsel, Javi Garcia and Ezequiel Garay will be returning to the Estadio da Luz, where they played for four and three years respectively.

Garay, who was part of the treble-winning team of 2013-14, only has fond memories of his time with the current Portuguese champions.

"I experienced a lot of nice things in Portugal so it's very special to go back," the centre-back told UEFA.com.

"We are facing a team with very good players. They're going through a good spell but at the same time we know we have a strong squad. It'll be a very nice tie to play in and we hope to get a good result too."

The good news for Zenit is that Benfica go into the match on the back of a damaging defeat to bitter rivals Porto on Friday.

Benfica coach Rui Vitoria is not too downbeat, however, as he believes Benfica did not deserve to lose.

"If drawing would have been an unfair result for us, losing is even more unjust," he told a press conference.

"We had numerous opportunities but we were not as effective as Porto. My players did enough to win the game. We did not win this game, but we are here to fight."

Argentina attacker Lisandro Lopez is fit after recovering from a thigh injury, but there are doubts over Eduardo Salvio (knee) and Ljubomir Fejsa (thigh).

Centre-back Luisao is still out with a broken arm.