Zenit hope bumpy pitch can help upset Bayern

Zenit St Petersburg hope their worn-out pitch will help them reach a first European final by upsetting favourites Bayern Munich in the return leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final today (kick-off 18.30).

After last week's 1-1 first leg draw in Munich, Zenit coach Dick Advocaat said the uneven surface at the Petrovsky stadium should favour the home side.

"The pitch is the same for both teams, but at least we have been accustomed to playing on it, so this should give us some advantage," the Dutchman told Russian media.

Zenit's pitch has been in such bad condition since the start of the Russian season in March that Russian league officials considered banning the stadium for domestic matches.

The league agreed to give the Petrovsky a reprieve after stadium officials promised major repairs in the near future.

The Russian champions were fortunate to return from Munich with a 1-1 draw after Bayern's Brazil defender Lucio inadvertently deflected the equaliser into his own goal, giving Zenit a real chance to advance on aggregate.

Zenit will be without Russia's Andrei Arshavin, Czech winger Radek Sirl and Dutch midfielder Fernando Ricksen after they picked up yellow cards last time out to earn one-game bans.

Bayern moved to within a whisker of clinching their 21st Bundesliga title with a 4-1 win over champions Stuttgart on Sunday, but have immediately turned their attention to Zenit.

"It's not time to party. We have a very important game on Thursday (today) and we have to concentrate on that," coach Ottmar Hitzfeld told German media after the victory.

The Germans welcome towering striker Luca Toni back from suspension. The Italian is the competition's top scorer with 10 goals and leads the Bundesliga scoring charts with 21.

In today's other semi-final, second leg (kick-off: 20.45), midfielder Marco Donadel said Fiorentina will need courage and determination to overcome Rangers in Florence.

Donadel echoed coach Cesare Prandelli's view that Rangers took a negative approach in last week's 0-0 draw at Ibrox and he called for a repeat of their 2-0 win at PSV Eindhoven which put Fiorentina into the last four.

"We have to take the field with the mentality we had at Eindhoven," Donadel, who returns from suspension, said. "We have to give everything immediately and make Rangers understand that it will be hard for them."

Centre-back David Weir has added to Rangers' injury troubles. Manager Walter Smith told reporters that the 37-year-old is unavailable after he suffered a groin strain in title-chasing Rangers' 3-2 league defeat by Celtic on Sunday.

Midfielders Steven Naismith, Chris Burke, Charlie Adam and Lee McCulloch look set to miss out again with fitness problems, while keeper Allan McGregor is a doubt with an ankle injury. However, captain Barry Ferguson and fellow midfielder Kevin Thomson are available for the game after serving one-match bans.

The visitors can take heart from defensive lapses Fiorentina showed in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Sampdoria, which leaves them just two points above Milan in fourth place, worth a slot in the Champions League qualifiers.

Rangers will again need to keep close tabs on Romania striker Adrian Mutu, who scored his 17th Serie A goal of the season on Sunday and netted both goals at Eindhoven.