Europa League Group L leaders Zenit St. Petersburg take on Rosenborg in Norway next week, knowing that just a single point will ensure their participation in the knockout phase of the competition. However, with the home side still in with a chance of making it through themselves, it could well be a tight affair at the Lerkendal Stadion on Thursday night.
Europa League – Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim – Thursday 2nd November – 21:05 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5/2 at Ladbrokes |
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Rosenborg Trondheim
Zenit St PetersburgMatch Preview
An Emiliano Ariel Rigoni hat-trick handed Zenit a comfortable 3-1 victory when the two teams met in St. Petersburg just a week ago, with Rosenborg hoping to put in a much more competitive performance on home soil. However, with Roberto Mancini’s side having been in hugely impressive form following the Italian managers arrival in Russia over the summer, it is the Group L leaders who are the favourites to maintain their 100% winning record in the competition this season. Due to the competitive nature of this fixture, there are a host of appealing markets when it comes to placing a bet. For those interested in doing just that, be sure to check out our top betting tip. First, let’s take a closer look at the two teams, starting with Rosenborg.
Rosenborg Team News & Form
Despite being a massive ten points clear at the top of the Norwegian Eliteserien, Rosenborg have struggled to transfer their domestic form into Europe, having won just won of their three Europa League matches so far. Having lost to both Zenit and Real Sociedad away from home, Rosenborg will be happy to have a home tie look forward to, with manager Kåre Ingebrigtsen hoping to ensure that his team have something still to play for in the remaining weeks of the competition. Former Arsenal man Nicklas Bendtner could well feature for the home side, having enjoyed a fruitful season with Rosenborg, following his move from England.
Zenit St. Petersburg Team News & Form
Zenit have been unstoppable in Group L so far, with victories over Rosenborg, Real Sociedad and FC Vardar leaving them three points clear of the chasing pack. Mancini’s men earned a crucial point away at rivals CSKA Moscow over the weekend, leaving them level on points with Russian league leaders, Lokomotiv Moscow. Emiliano Rigoni has been the star of the show for Zenit in Europe, with the Argentine having scored five goals in their three matches. His partnership with Aleksandr Kokorin has been one of the main reasons behind their success, while the likes of Domenico Criscito and Aleksandr Anyukov have helped to ensure that the Russian’s have conceded just two goals also.
Head to Head
Before last week’s clash in Russia, where the home team dominated from the off to run out eventual 3-1 winners, the two teams had never previously met in a competitive fixture. As a result, few conclusions can be made ahead of the reverse fixture.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their dominant display last week, it comes as little surprise that it is Zenit who are the favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers, despite being the away side. Rosenborg can be backed at odds of 10/3 with Ladbrokes, while the same bookmakers offer Zenit odds of 4/5.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on under 2.5 goals being scored in the 90 minutes, which can be backed at odds of 9/10 at Ladbrokes.