Dubai: Five-time Russian Premier League winners Zenit Saint Petersburg will arrive in Dubai on Monday for their winter training camp.
While in the UAE the 2008 Uefa Cup champions, managed by former Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini, will play friendlies against Denmark’s FC Copenhagen on January 22, the Czech Republic’s Slavia Prague on January 25 and China’s Guangzhou Evergrande, who are managed by former Al Ahli defender Fabio Cannavaro, on January 28. Venues and kick-off times will be announced shortly on the club’s official website.
Zenit boast the likes of former Chelsea players Branislav Ivanovic and Yuri Zhirkov in their ranks, along with ex-Roma man Leandro Paredes, who makes up one of five Argentinian national team players in the squad.
This isn’t the first time Zenit have chosen Dubai for their winter break. They first came here in 1999 and have since held 10 camps in the UAE. This would be their 11th visit.
Zenit are one of Russia’s most popular clubs and play in the newly opened Krestovsky Stadium, which will host seven games at this summer’s World Cup. Last year, the club were ranked 11th on football’s financial firepower list and are backed by Russia’s biggest multinational — Gazprom.
For more information visit their official website: http://www.en.fc-zenit.ru or social media channels http://www.facebook.com/fczenit and https://twitter.com/fczenit_en
