Zenit still pose stiff test for Young Boys

FC Zenit St Petersburg will look to rescue themselves back in Russia after losing 2-1 against BSC Young Boys in the away leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie.

• Zenit's early enterprise was rewarded when Nicolas Lombaerts headed in Danko Lazović's cross 20 minutes in but Vladimir Petković's side were back level within 60 seconds of the restart thanks to Senad Lulić's fine solo effort. With Vladimir Bystrov's red card leaving Zenit a man short the match was veering towards stalemate when, deep into added time, substitute Emmanuel Mayuka gave YB a priceless advantage.

Previous meetings
• This is the sides' first tie in UEFA club competition, and this is also Young Boys' first contest against Russian opposition.

• Zenit's only experience of Swiss opponents came in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round, when they were eliminated by Grasshopper-Club, losing 3-1 in Zurich before winning 2-1 at home.

Match background
• Zenit have won all five of their home fixtures in Europe this season and have gone ten games unbeaten at the Petrovsky Stadium since a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid CF in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Young Boys have lost their last four European away games without scoring a single goal since beating Fenerbahçe SK 1-0 in this season's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Results have been improving, though: their four away losses in order read 4-0, 3-0, 2-0, 1-0.

• That first-leg win means Young Boys have still yet to lose at home in Europe this season, following up a 2-2 draw against Fenerbahçe with a run of five straight wins, three by two-goal margins.

• Before their visit to Switzerland, Zenit had won all three of their UEFA Europa League away games, scoring three times in each of them.

Team facts
• Both Young Boys and FC Basel 1893, the only other Swiss side left in UEFA club competition this season, were drawn against Russian teams in the round of 32; Basel are 3-2 down as they visit against FC Spartak Moskva.

• PFC CSKA Moskva and FC Zenit St Petersburg are the highest-scoring sides in the competition this season with 19 goals each. Zenit have also been caught offside 29 times since the start of the group stage; more than any other side in the round of 32.

• Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti faced Swiss opponents when in charge at AS Roma in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, with his side beating Basel 3-1 at home.

• Young Boys right-back Alain Nef and Spartak's Serbian defender Aleksandar Luković were team-mates at Udinese Calcio in the 2008/09 season, though the former made just five appearances before being loaned out in the spring.

• The overall winners will take on the victors in the tie between FC Rubin Kazan and FC Twente in the round of 16 on 10 and 17 March, playing the first leg away from home.