Not a good night in Europe for Russian clubs. In UEFA Cup Group A, Zenit St Petersburg lost 1-0 to Everton in England, while in Group B Lokomotiv Moscow lost 2-0 to Panathinaikos of Greece. On Thursday, Spartak Moscow take on FC Zurich in another UEFA Cup

Newly-crowned Russian champions Zenit travelled to Liverpool to take on Everton, knowing a win there would secure their passage to the knockout stage. But a late strike by Tim Cahill handed the hosts a 1-0 win and left Zenit hanging by a thread. In Group A's other game Nuremberg beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 at home.

In Group B, Lokomotiv went into the match at Panathinaikos of Athens with virtually no chances of advancing to the last 32 and after a 2-0 loss the railwaymen are now down and out.
 

Spartak need win to qualify for next round

On Thursday Spartak Moscow will be looking to reverse this trend when they meet their main rivals in Group E – FC Zurich – at home in Moscow.

The red and whites sit second to their Swiss opponents in Group E. Spartak need a win in order to secure a top-three spot and automatic qualification for the next round.

Spartak and FC Zurich have never played each other in the UEFA Cup but the Russian side's head coach and former goalkeeper at the club, Stanislav Cherchesov, says the Swiss outfit will be a stern test.

“When the draw took place I mentioned that Zurich are a good team and I was right. They are on top of the group with six points. They remind me of Spartak. They play good football and are stronger with the ball than without it. So I think the game will swing back and forth,” he said.

Egor Titov, talisman and captain of the Premier League runners-up looks at the situation more pragmatically.

“We must win at home and at least draw in the away games. If everything works to our advantage then we will win against Zurich and hope that Leverkusen take all three points against Sparta Prague,” he said.