Monaco v Zenit background

Second-placed AS Monaco FC have home advantage as they try to resist the challenge of third-ranked FC Zenit and earn the draw they need to qualify for the knockout rounds from UEFA Champions League Group C.

• The teams, now separated by a point, played out a goalless draw on 1 October.

Match background

Monaco
• This is Monaco's sixth group stage campaign and their first since 2004/05, when they reached the round of 16. They were runners-up the previous year.

• The French side are back in European competition this season after an absence of nine years.

• Last season's Ligue 1 runners-up have had three home games against Russian opponents – all from Moscow – in European competition, losing the first but winning the other two.

• Monaco began the campaign with a 1-0 home win against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and continued to struggle for goals in the two games with SL Benfica, drawing 0-0 at home before going down 1-0 away.

• Last time out they gained their second victory, substitute Lucas Ocampos making the difference with the only goal against Leverkusen. A draw will be enough to put them through, while they will qualify as group winners with three points should Leverkusen lose.

Zenit
• Zenit's only triumph in France came in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 16 when an Andrey Arshavin goal gave them a 1-0 win at Olympique de Marseille. The home leg finished 1-1 with Aleksandr Kerzhakov on target. Their three other visits to France all ended in defeat.

• Zenit prevailed again against Marseille two seasons later en route to lifting the 2007/08 UEFA Cup. Arshavin scored in a 3-1 away defeat and this proved decisive when Zenit won the return 2-0 to advance on away goals.

• The Russian side are in their fifth group stage campaign. Last season they finished second in the group with six points – the lowest total for a team progressing in UEFA Champions League history – to qualify for the knockout rounds for only the second time. In the round of 16 they lost 4-2 at home to Borussia Dortmund and 5-4 overall.

• In this season's third qualifying round, Zenit beat AEL Limassol FC 3-0 at home to overturn a 1-0 away defeat. In the play-offs against R. Standard de Liège, they matched that home scoreline to complete a 4-0 aggregate win.

• The St Petersburg club won 2-0 at Benfica on matchday one but stumbled in the two games against Leverkusen, losing away (0-2) and home (1-2).

• On matchday five, Danny's goal with 11 minutes remaining ensured a 1-0 win against Benfica. 

Coach and player links
• Those who have played on the same side are:
Ricardo Carvalho, João Moutinho and Luís Neto (Portugal)
Moutinho and Hulk (FC Porto, 2010–2013)
Moutinho and Danny (Sporting Clube de Portugal, 2004/05)
Bernardo Silva and Ezequiel Garay (SL Benfica, 2012–2014)
Lacina Traoré and Oleg Shatov (FC Anji Makhachkala, 2012–2013)
Jérémy Toulalan and José Rondón (Málaga CF, 2011/12)

• Moutinho played for Porto under André Villas-Boas in 2010/11.

• Dimitar Berbatov scored twice as Bulgaria drew 2-2 in a Sofia friendly against Russia on 30 March 2004. Kerzhakov came on as a substitute.

Match facts

Monaco
• Ricardo Carvalho serves a one-game ban on matchday six. Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, Layvin Kurzawa and Jérémy Toulalan are all a booking away from suspension.

• No team has ever previously advanced from the autumn group stage after scoring two goals – as Monaco currently have – or fewer. The record is three, shared by AS Roma (2002/03) and Villarreal CF (2005/06).

• Monaco have 26 points after 17 Ligue 1 games this season, 12 fewer than at the same stage last term.

• Monaco have managed just seven wins in 22 games in all competitions this season.

• Dimitar Berbatov took his tally to three goals in two games as Monaco won 2-0 at Toulouse FC on Friday to complete their first back-to-back victories since September.

• Monaco ended a run of four Ligue 1 games without a win on 2 December as they beat RC Lens 2-0, both goals coming after Wallace was sent off ten minutes before half-time.

• Danijel Subašić kept out Pierrick Valdivia's penalty against Lens, his second spot-kick save of the season.

• Kurzawa has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury suffered while winning his first two caps for France last month. The man who has deputised for him at left-back, Elderson, limped off against Lens.

• Borja López is yet to play this season because of a knee injury but was an unused substitute on Friday.

Zenit
• Domenico Criscito, Hulk and Javi García are all a yellow card away from a suspension.

• Villas-Boas's side, who won 13 in a row in August and September, have lost five of their last 11 matches.

• Ezequiel Garay was on target for the first time since April as Zenit won 4-0 at home to a Krasnodar FC side that began the weekend third on Saturday. Zenit had not scored more than once in any of their previous seven matches.

• Zenit have conceded just once in their last five games – Oleg Vlasov's surprise winner for FC Mordovia Saransk on 29 November.

• Hulk scored seven goals in August but has managed just four in 17 outings since.