£1bn STAGE IS SET FOR AN INTRIGUING SECOND ACT
WEIGHING in with an estimated price tag of £1.1billion, the Krestovsky Stadium in St Petersburg is believed to be the most expensive football stadium on the planet.
Situated on an island on the outskirts of the city, at night the spectacular structure lends the impression that it landed from outer space. Many aspects of it certainly feel other worldly.
The upper levels of its unbroken steep stands are assuredly not for those prone to bouts of vertigo. Valencia’s famous Mestalla pales in significance to the views it offers.
Only completed last April just the eight years behind schedule, the venue which will host seven games at this summer’s World Cup really is the last word in luxury.
Not only is the roof fully retractable, the entire structure is temperature-controlled. No bad thing, from Celtic’s view, given the adjacent Neva River has been frozen solid for several weeks.
Sitting deep in its bowels yesterday, Roberto Mancini, the Zenit manager, certainly didn’t give the impression that he was bothered by either the chill winds in the city or the heat that descended on him after his side’s 1-0 loss in Glasgow last Thursday.
Reporting a clean bill of health within his squad, meaning a likely return for Branislav Ivanovic tonight, the Italian appeared untroubled by both his side’s lack of sharpness and craft in the first leg.
Evidently believing ring rust was always likely to hamper them in their first post-winter break game, the former Manchester City manager fully anticipates a vastly improved performance and result tonight.
‘We didn’t play our usual game but that is normal. That had to be expected,’ he said. ‘In the end, I thought we played an okay game. We made a mistake when we conceded a goal, but we were two months without a competitive game and that was our biggest problem; to play in such a big match after such a long time off.
‘We will be better after some more days of training. I believe we have the same chance as Celtic to go through.’
Celtic can only hope Mancini is guilty of wishful thinking as far as requisite matchsharpness is concerned.
Having been distinctly off-colour in Glasgow, the Russians opted against taking another friendly at the weekend heading, instead, to yet another training camp in Italy. Mancini, though, is adamant he has adopted the right approach.
‘The players are ready,’ he insisted. ‘We won’t change a lot because they are in good form. For me, it’s not so important to change the players, what we must do is change the result.’
A long weekend spent back
in Mancini’s homeland has certainly been agreeable with the Zenit squad. They appear unperturbed by the task they face to turn the tie on its head.
‘Rome was very useful,’ said defender Igor Smolnikov. ‘We trained every day. It was very intense but we enjoyed it.
‘It was important and there was also a chance to spend some time with the families.
‘The problem last week wasn’t our fitness, because we had done our preparation.
‘But it was the first game back for us and you could see Celtic have started their season well and were in better physical shape.
‘They started the game very quickly and they gave us problems.
‘We are at home now and we are going to show a completely different performance.
‘The new pitch is perfect. It’s our home and I hope it will be a different game to last week and we manage to win.’
On home soil, Zenit are a formidable proposition. Last season, they lost just one league game there and were undefeated in four European matches.
This term, they’ve lost twice in the Russian league but were imperious in the group stage of the Europa League, winning their three games against Real Sociedad, Rosenborg and Vardar.
The hope for Celtic comes in the fact that the Russians conceded on each of those occasions — and also lost the home leg of a qualifier to Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv.
‘We won all our group matches,’ said Mancini. ‘But group games are always different to playing twice in a knockout match.
‘However, I am confident that we can have a good game, we will go into this fully concentrated and we shall play without pressure which is going to be important.’
Brendan Rodgers’ side did not arrive here last night harbouring any state secrets.
If they didn’t park the bus in either the Nou Camp or the Parc des Princes, they are not going to do so here. Especially not when scoring a solitary goal would leave their opponents needing three.
‘If we are too strong for Celtic, they may play more defensively and sit further in midfield,’ Mancini mused.
‘Celtic will try to play their normal game and will rely on their qualities as they did last week.
‘We knew Celtic were a good team. The players are very good, as is their manager. I wasn’t surprised about how they played at all but we will be ready for them.’
It’s a given that Zenit’s backers Gazprombank are covering more than Mancini’s fuel bill in remuneration during his time here.
The 53-year-old is expected to deliver a fifth Russian title to the club in short order. Accordingly, the eight-point gap that separated his side from leaders Lokomotiv Moscow at the break did not make for pretty reading.
Rumours of disquiet are growing. Reports in Italy yesterday claimed Mancini and Alessandro Costacurta were being lined up to relieve Luigi di Biagio as Italian national manager.
Interestingly, his emphatic denial of anything being afoot did not stretch beyond the end of his first season in Russia.
‘I have never spoken to Alessandro Costacurta about this,’ he stated. ‘Never. I have heard all of these rumours but none of it is true.
‘My head is in this game and this season. After that, everything can change when it gets to the end of the season.
‘But at this moment, that is not a priority, Celtic is my priority, the game tomorrow night and beyond that the ten games we have in the championship.’
For the first time in history, of course, Mancini’s Italy will not be present when the World Cup gets under way this summer.
Lose to Celtic today and the chances of him also having time on his hands will only increase.