Today at 12:00 p.m. ET, Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Porto go head-to-head in UEFA Champions League Group G action live from Petrovski Stadium in Russia. The game can be live streamed here.
A victory for Zenit will lift them four points over Porto in second place and make them heavy favorites to progress in the Champions League. Hulk, who was a favorite with Porto, is looking to stymie his former club as he and Zenit look for a key victory this afternoon.
"I grew up in Porto and won titles there so for me these are extra special games," Hulk told ESPN. "But this will be a decisive match for Zenit and that is what makes it extra special. We were very unhappy with our last match in the Russian League. We could have won but we only got a draw - so we will play to win, even though a draw can be a convenient result for us."
Zenit has stumbled after a 1-0 win last month in Porto, having suffered a loss in the Russian Cup to Tyumen and falling to Amkar Perm in their home-league clash on Saturday.
"I heard that Porto say they are coming here only to win and I think we have to think in the same direction," coach Luciano Spalletti said per ESPN. "We all understand the upcoming game is one of the most important of the season for us."
The good news for Zenit is that Axel Witsel will be able to play Porto after a red card suspension was lifted following an appeal.
Porto manager Paulo Fonseca watched his team suffer through a 1-1 tie to Belenenses Saturday.
Fonseca has called upon Mikel and Diego Reyes to try and lead the team to a victory today while Hector Herrera is sidelined after drawing a red card against Zenit last month.
Both of these teams want to win but only one will emerge victorious when they meet on the pitch today.
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