Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Borussia Dortmund – Champions League, December 8, 2020

Borussia Dortmund has already secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League, but the Germans will be looking to clinch top spot in Group F when they visit St. Petersburg on Tuesday, December 8.

Whatever happens on Matchday 6, Zenit is guaranteed to finish bottom of the group. It’s fair to say that the Russian side has endured a UCL campaign to forget this year.

Keep reading to see my Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Borussia Dortmund prediction and betting pick.

Despite the Russians’ home advantage, 10bet views Borussia Dortmund (1.76) as the clear favorite to win this one.

Zenit (4.55) only had pride to play for on Tuesday, while Lucien Favre’s side has the opportunity to finish top of Group F and head into the knockout stages as a seeded team.

Having picked up just a single point from a possible 15 this season, it is hardly surprising that Zenit is six points adrift at the bottom of Group F.

Zenit’s sole point came from a hard-fought – and somewhat unexpected – 1-1 draw against Lazio on Matchday 3. But back-to-back defeats either side of that draw have well and truly ended the club’s UCL hopes this term.

Granted, Sergei Semak’s men made Dortmund fight for the win in the reverse fixture back in October. But after facing a barrage of attacks in Germany, they eventually lost 2-0. The Russians only saw 30% possession on that occasion and failed to register a single attempt on target.

Still, Semak’s men can take confidence from the fact that they currently sit at the summit of the Russian Premier League. Sadar Azmoun netted a hat-trick as Zenit crushed Ural 5-1 on Saturday, so the champions are in pole position to defend their domestic crown this season.

On the flip side, Dortmund was held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt last time out. Favre’s side enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and racked up 16 shots (five on target), yet they were unable to claim all three points on Saturday.

Following a defeat to FC Koln and a draw with Lazio last week, Dortmund heads into Tuesday’s clash on a three-game winless run. However, BVB will view the trip to Russia as the ideal chance to get back on track and return to winning ways.

Favre’s men kicked off their Champions League campaign with a defeat this term, but they have since sealed three wins and a draw in Europe. After beating Zenit on Matchday 2, the Germans clinched successive 3-0 victories over Belgian side Club Brugge, with Erling Haaland bagging consecutive braces.

Dortmund may be without the injured Haaland on Tuesday, but with Jadon Sancho, Marco Rues, Thorgan Hazard, and Giovanni Reyna available, Favre is still spoiled for choice when it comes to picking his forward line.

At the end of the day, Zenit can’t even finish third and drop down into the Europa League. The Russian side has been dreadful in the UCL this term, and I’m not expecting that to change on Matchday 6.

With the possibility of finishing top of Group F and heading into the Round of 16 as a seeded team, I’m confident that Dortmund will claim all three points on Tuesday.