Short-handed zenit confident

Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg will be missing key players for its Champions League last-16 first-leg clash with Portuguese giant Benfica on Wednesday but defender Bruno Alves is confident it can overcome those blows.

Zenit will be without Portuguese international midfielder Miguel Danny, who is out for at least six months with ruptured knee cruciate ligaments, first-choice goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeyev, who has a leg injury, and Italian defender Domenico Criscito, who has a stomach infection.

However, Alves said that having already got the better of Benfica's domestic title rival Porto in the group stage it can make light of their personnel losses.