Zenit St. Petersburg’s Domenico Criscito is ready to play against FC Apoel: UEFA Champions League
Zenit St. Petersburg new arrival, Domenico Criscito is excited to play in the UEFA Champions’ League group stages and revealed that he is ready to help the Bomzhi to reach the later stages of the biggest European competition.
Zenit are pooled alongside FC Apoel, Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto in the group stages of the Champions League. Criscito insisted that Zenit have to play quality football against the opponents in order to book a place in the knock
out stages of the cup tournament.
The former Genoa CFC defender bemoaned the Bomzhi performance in their latest Russian Premier League encounter against Lokomotiv Moscow. Zenit lost 2-4 against the Moscow-based club. Criscito urged his teammates to forget the league
worries behind in order to compile fabulous performances against the clubs falling in their respective group in the Champions League.
Criscito insisted that a team always learns from their mistakes and Bomzhi needs to get a lesson from their sloppy performance against the Lokhi.
“I cannot say that we have some serious problems because of the defeat against Lokomotiv. We will try to achieve the maximum point in our group and will the needful in order to progress. I have seen APOEL at the preliminary stage
of the Champions League and I can say they are a good team. Nevertheless, we should think of ourselves and try to show all we can. Zenit are an ambitious club that loves to grow. I came to St. Petersburg because I know that the Zenit are a team of winners.”
The 24-year-old was quoted as saying.
The former Juventus FC defender heaped praise on Apoel composition and revealed that he had kept an eye on the Cyprus-based club in the preliminary matches of the tournament. The Italian stopper highlighted that the Cypriot First
Division Champions are playing at home and they are going to give Zenit a difficult time with their home support.
The Italian national failed to reach the quarter finals of the Champions League during his time with the Vecchia Signora. Criscito hoped to reach farther in the tournament, this time under the Meshki head coach, Luciano Spalletti.