Milan face testing trip to Spalletti's Zenit

AC Milan face a familiar foe in Luciano Spalletti when they visit FC Zenit St Petersburg for their second fixture in UEFA Champions League Group C.

• Spalletti had an excellent record against Milan as coach of AS Roma, and Zenit's impressive recent European history at the Stadion Petrovski suggests a challenging evening is in store for the seven-time winners, who opened their campaign with a goalless draw against RSC Anderlecht as Zenit were succumbing 3-0 at Málaga CF.

Match background
• Zenit are bidding to extend a 16-match unbeaten home sequence in UEFA competition stretching back to a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid CF in their first UEFA Champions League home fixture on 30 September 2008.

• The Russian title holders' run includes three wins and a draw in last season's UEFA Champions League. They have won ten and drawn one of 11 European home fixtures under Spalletti.

• Milan did not win on their travels in the 2011/12 competition, recording three draws and two defeats. Their last away victory in the UEFA Champions League was a 2-0 success at AJ Auxerre in November 2010.

• Milan's sole previous UEFA Champions League engagement in Russia was a 1-0 victory at FC Lokomotiv Moskva in the 2002/03 second group stage through a Rivaldo penalty. They won the trophy that year, just as they did after their only other victory in Russia – a Romeo Benetti-inspired 1-0 success at FC Spartak Moskva in the 1972/73 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.

• Zenit's last encounter with Italian opponents came in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16 against Udinese Calcio. Dick Advocaat's team lost 2-0 in Italy, winning the return 1-0 through Anatoliy Tymoshchuk's goal. Vyacheslav Malafeev, Aleksandr Anyukov, Danny, Igor Denisov, Viktor Fayzulin, Roman Shirokov and Konstantin Zyryanov all featured.

• Zenit's two other home ties with Serie A opposition were a goalless draw with Juventus in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage and a 3-0 defeat by Bologna FC in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup first round.

Team ties
• Spalletti and his Milan counterpart Massimiliano Allegri both played, at different times, for amateur side UC Cuoiopelli. Both from Tuscany, they were born 80km apart, in Certaldo and Livorno respectively.

• As coaches in Serie A, the pair crossed swords only in 2008/09. Spalletti's Roma beat Allegri's Cagliari Calcio 3-2 with a last-minute goal at the Stadio Olimpico and then came from two down to earn a 2-2 away draw.

• With Roma between 2005 and 2009, Spalletti posted two wins and two draws in home Serie A meetings with Milan. His overall record was W5 D2 L1. Philippe Mexès was with him throughout his four years in Rome.

• With Udinese – where he was coach in 2001 and again from 2002 to 2005 – Spalletti was also unbeaten at home against Milan, recording one win and two draws. His overall Serie A record against the Rossoneri with Udinese was: W2 D2 L3.

• Spalletti also coached Empoli FC, UC Sampdoria, AC Venezia and AC Ancona in Italy.

• Domenico Criscito played for Genoa CFC and Juventus and was a team-mate of Marco Amelia and Stephan El Shaarawy at Genoa in 2009/10.

• Criscito has played for Italy alongside Ignazio Abate, Riccardo Montolivo, Antonio Nocerino and Giampaolo Pazzini.

• Shirokov (2) and Kerzhakov scored as Russia overcame Montolivo and Nocerino's Italy 3-0 in a pre-UEFA EURO 2012 friendly in Zurich on 1 June. Denisov, Malafeev and Zyryanov also played for Russia.

• Kerzhakov was a substitute in the Sevilla FC side beaten 3-1 by Milan in the 2007 UEFA Super Cup.

• Aleksandar Luković spent four seasons with Udinese, including a loan spell at Ascoli Calcio. He played alongside Cristián Zapata in Udinese's 1-0 second-leg loss to Zenit in the UEFA Cup round of 16 on 19 March 2009; the Italian side nevertheless won 2-1 on aggregate.

• Sergei Semak and Mario Yepes were team-mates at Paris Saint-Germain FC from 2005 to 2006.

• Semak played in Russia's 1-0 reverse at Italy in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off. With PFC CSKA Moskva he lost 3-2 at Parma FC in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round despite scoring twice and was in the FC Rubin Kazan team beaten 2-0 by Inter in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage.