Sardar Azmoun @ Zenit St. Petersburg | 2020-21

[Iranianarsenal11]

Btw, the same AC Milan who wanted Sardar Azmoun that people were ridiculing last season (PSGman#19, inarsenewetrust, KeonKish, Medzdidz, Dortmund, etc... ) are 1st in Serie A and have been playing good football this season.

Sheesh! You guys gonna take this?

[Medzdidz]

Sheesh! You guys gonna take this?

Suffering from memory loss from that moment in my life. I will wait to see where they finish at the end of the season 😛 Italian League this season has been open, similar to how the Premier League is.

[Medzdidz]

On another note, I wonder if Wolves will try and come back in for Sardar after that horrible injury that Jimenez had with the fractured skull. Looks like he will be out for a long time and dependent on how serious it is if he does ever play again.

[inarsenewetrust]

Whatever he had left my guy fkedddd up, but I hope he can summon his pre illness form. Zenit have been a train wreck, semak is an idiot, but I hope to see in a big moment (still fighting for EL, still matches vs brugge and dortmund to show himself) he can carry this team, like he was doing.

That is provided he is even fit enough to do so which I still doubt.

Russian take on sardar pre game...

Hour of Azmun

There is reason to believe that the champions of Russia will have a long-played pair of forwards for the match of the fifth round of the Champions League against Club Brugge.Zenit has once again driven itself into a dead end in Europe. The dream of the Champions League playoffs vanished two rounds before the end of the group stage, and in order to get into the spring stage of the Europa League, you first need to win with the correct score in Bruges. Which is also a big question.

Apparently, Sergei Semak will take risks in Belgium - and it is not excluded that he will play two full-fledged strikers from the first minutes. The pair Dziuba - Azmun suggests itself , although both are now far from their optimal playing form. Moreover, in the last lesson before leaving in St. Petersburg, Artem trained with restrictions.

As for Azmun, everything goes to the fact that for the first time in a long time (from October 20) we will see him again in the starting lineup.

Either sore throat or "crown"

The Iranian in Semak's deck may not be an ace, but at least a king. Do not forget that last season, with 17 goals scored, he shared the laurels of the top scorer of the Russian championship with Dzyuba. At the same time (attention!) Serdar had only one goal from the penalty spot against seven from his partner.

And Azmun's overall statistics at Zenit are impressive. In 69 appearances in all official tournaments, including European competition, he scored 36 goals (an average of 0.52 per game). Dziuba has 80 goals in 195 matches (0.41 per game).
The only trick is that the Iranian striker's cannon has long gone silent. Except for the double in the home game with Ufa (September 26 - 6: 0), the last time he rejoiced at a goal scored three and a half months ago, on August 22 in the game against Tambov. Since then, Azmun, by the way, has played only two matches from the start to the final whistle: with Dynamo in the championship and with Brugge in the Champions League. Zenit lost both - 0: 1 and 1: 2, respectively.
And Serdar started this season to match Cristiano or Zlatan - four goals in four matches of the national championship.

The trouble crept up unnoticed. In the already mentioned match with Ufa, Azmun was forced to leave the field due to muscle injury. In the end, everything worked out - and the striker managed to recover by the meeting of the next round with Spartak. After that, he played two more games - and disappeared from the radar. More than a month.

- After the weekend, Serdar Azmun felt a slight discomfort. By the decision of the coaching staff, the player was isolated and removed from participation in the training process and preparation for the match with Rubin until the test results for COVID-19 were received, the press service of the St. Petersburg club said a week before the end of October.
A few days later, a sore throat was announced. Interesting story, but not the point. In the end, it doesn't really matter what - the coronavirus, sore throat or something else - the Iranian missed more than a month. Much more important is that he finally returned, played half an hour in the match of the last round with Arsenal and is ready to help the blue-white-blue in Bruges.

EuroAzmun

By the way, the indicators of Azmun-Zenit in European competitions are falling from year to year. Not least, of course, due to injury and illness. But the fact remains.
In the 2018/19 season in the Europa League, the Iranian forward scored three goals in four playoff games. He played two against Fenerbahce in the round of 16 and scored one against Villarreal in the round of 16. Further "Zenith" did not break through.

The following season, Azmun played for Peter in all six UEFA Champions League group stage matches. He scored a goal against Benfica and Lyon, and in the final round, alas, he struck his own goal against the same Portuguese.
In the current Champions League, the Iranian has two matches - a complete one with Club Brugge and about 20 minutes away with Lazio. There are no heads yet.

- Replaced Driussi and Azmun are not in optimal condition. Over the past few days, they had only two trainings, - this is how Zenit head coach Sergei Semak explained the playing state of the Argentinean and the Iranian after the match a week ago in Rome (1: 3).

It is clear that even now the Zenit G7 is not in the best shape. But in Tula last Saturday, the Asian striker was at least fragmentary like himself. Remember, for example, his trademark dash to someone else's goal from the center line in the 85th minute and a sly pass in the penalty area to Malcolm, who saw through the hosts' defender.

Additional options for Semak

- Dziuba without Azmun - ½ striker, - either as a joke or seriously, the former general director of Lokomotiv Ilya Gerkus wrote on social networks two months ago during the Russian championship match Spartak - Zenit.
If it was a joke, then, in my opinion, this is just the case when there is a fair amount of truth in it. Just as Azmun is dependent on Dziuba, the latter is dependent on the former. The Iranian does a lot of work in the attack, distracts the defenders with constant openings and gives the Russian grenadier a wider maneuver.

Dziuba's connection with Azmun is not just a banal discount on the ball on the move or under the blow to a partner. These are additional options in Zenit's attack, which worked like clockwork last season.

The task of the Russian champion is further complicated by the fact that it is desirable to score twice in Belgium - so that, without conceding himself, he has a positive goal difference in the matches with Club Brugge .

Meanwhile, let me remind you that in the last two years, Zenit has hit the rivals' goal only twice in Champions League matches more than once. It was in October 2019 against Benfica (3: 1) and in November of the same year against Lyon (2: 0). Dziuba scored two goals in these meetings, Azmun one.

[Medzdidz]

Thank you for that read. Part of me hopes he starts tonight after his last two sub appearances but at the same time he didn’t look fit enough to play a full 90 and the selfish part of me would not want to see him play it, in case he causes another injury/ or some damage.

[_Navid_]

Starting!

[inarsenewetrust]

Starting. Dzyuba out with injury. Malcom Azmoun Driussi front three.

[daggerhashimoto]

going all in +263 .... hold my beer.

[diz]

With Dzyuba out, it's up to Azmoun to win this. C'mon Sardar!

[Medzdidz]

I like that front three , pace and guile.

[Medzdidz]

going all in +263 .... hold my beer.

Betting odds are different over here , how much you putting on?

[The Realist]

Finally we have an Iranian player that will start a game! 🙏

[daggerhashimoto]

Betting odds are different over here , how much you putting on?

Not going all in lol. Just 16 mbtc, like 300 bucks

[_Navid_]

going all in +263 .... hold my beer.

What is 263?

[daggerhashimoto]

What is 263?

means when i put in one dollar, if zenit wins, I'll get my dollar back, PLUS 1.63 dollars so 2.63 all together.