The first match of the Champions League for this week is between the teams of FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Borussia Dortmund. It is difficult to determine the favorite in this clash, as Borussia plays rather inefficiently lately, and Zenit haven't participated in an official match for nearly two months.
The lack of serious match practice will undoubtedly affect negatively the home side. The physical condition is extremely important in modern football and the fact that Zenit played their last official match in December last year, will undoubtedly have its influence on this meeting. However, the hosts, who are owned by the main sponsor of the Champions League Gazprom, will try to make the most of their home advantage and achieve a good result in the cold St. Petersburg.
Borussia Dortmund are not enjoying their best season, as there are constantly a lot of key injured players and reaching the Bundesliga title is merely impossible. This however, might motive the team for a good performance in the Champions League. The last year's finalist is never to be underestimated, despite their poor results in recent months. Lewandowski, Reus, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang are huge threat to any defense and it's unlikely Borussia not to score a goal in this match. Jürgen Klopp knows really well that even one away goal will be of high importance for his team.