Football Season Guide

Zenit kick the new season off with the determination to continue their domination and got for a three-peat in terms of titles. Yet, it is not looking all too rosy for Sergey Semak in Saint Petersburg as the lack of any European achievements during his reign has started to weigh heavily against the coach. He is certainly expect to continue the domestic domination in the coming season but will be mostly measured by the way the Sky Blues do in the Champions League, where the aim is to finally get into the knockout stages. The squad so far looks almost the same as last year, with only goalie Andrey Lunev leaving so far. Striker Sardar Azmoun has been linked heavily with teams across Europe and it looks like he might be leaving, depriving Zenit of a forward who got 36 league goals over the last two season. With his strike partner Artem Dzyuba not getting any younger, the Sky Blues may well be in the market for some new reinforcements up front. The midfield looks like the strongest department in the squad, with Wilmar Barrios, Wendel and Magomed Ozdoev rock solid there, while the defence has top players as well.