Arshavin promotes case for defence

FC Zenit St. Petersburg forward Andrei Arshavin has been at the forefront of a ground-breaking season at the Petrovsky stadium, but as Vlastimil Petržela's side prepare to face Olympique de Marseille in their UEFA Cup Round of 16 second-leg tie, the Russian international insists their strength lies elsewhere.

Defensive bulwark
"We are absolutely fail-safe at the back," the 24-year-old told uefa.com. "None of our defenders look like being beaten in one-on-one situations and the cornerstones of our defence, [Erik] Hagen and [Martin] Škrtel, are both in fine form." An obdurate back line has conceded a paltry five goals in seven European games this term, including a clean sheet against Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome, where they confounded expectations with an impressive 1-0 win against ten-man opponents.

High hopes
Arshavin scored the only goal six minutes after half-time, curling a fine shot from the edge of the area beyond Fabien Barthez, and hopes are high in St Petersburg. "Our success in Marseille has left our supporters certain that we'll complete an aggregate victory," Arshavin continued. "But it could be tough. Marseille don't want to bow out and will look to defend and then try to hit us on the break. [Samir] Nasri and [Mamadou] Niang look particularly dangerous."

Key absences
The Ligue 1 outfit will, however, be without France goalkeeper Barthez, who is sidelined with a calf injury, but Arshavin believes other losses will hurt the French team more. "Barthez's absence is not too important, although I know nothing about their second-choice goalkeeper [Cédric Carrasso]," he said. "They will find it harder to cope with the suspensions of [Wilson] Oruma and [Franck] Ribéry." The loss of Ribéry could be particularly hard to bear, given the talismanic winger inspired Marseille to a comeback victory in the last round against Bolton Wanderers FC.

Holders inspire
Failure to find similar inspiration tonight would help Zenit move a step closer to emulating PFC CSKA Moskva's success last season and ensuring the UEFA Cup remains in Russia, although Arshavin is keen to take it one game at a time. "We're still a long way from our goal of matching CSKA's triumph," he said. "To my mind, Middlesbrough [FC] and [FC] Schalke [04] are favourites, while the rest of us are about equal."