Zenit travels to Portugal with their backs against the wall, knowing that another defeat could spell trouble.

Porto and Zenit will clash in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, October 22, 2013.Preview: Zenit has little margin for error on Tuesday night

From their two group matches, Zenit has not been all that impressive. A 3-1 defeat at the Vicente Calderon against Atletico Madrid was followed up by a scoreless draw at home against Austria Vienna. And although Zenit looked good through spells of their last match, they were unable to put the ball in the net, which is the most important part of the game. 

On Tuesday night, Hulk and Danny will return to a familiar stadium. It would also have been a familiar return for Axel Witsel who spent some time with Benfica, but the Belgian international will be suspended for this match.

 

For Hulk, he will return to a place where he played for many years, and upon his return, the Brazilian international promises to not celebrate if he scores.

"I can only promise one thing - I will never celebrate a goal against Porto because of the respect I have for the club and their fans," Hulk told Portuguese reporters. 

The Brazilian forward is off to a great start in the Russian League, having scored seven goals, only two behind leader Danny, who has nine. If the Russian side is going to finally grab their first victory, they will need to rely heavily on both these players, who know Porto's style of play very well.

Luciano Spalletti knows how important this match is, but he is convinced his side can compete against the Portuguese champions.

"We have all the conditions to play an equal match with Porto," the Italian manager told reporters in his latest press-conference.

Perhaps the Russian outfit can take some tips from Porto's last Champions League match, where they lost 1-2 at home against Atletico Madrid. Having taken the lead, Madrid bounced back with two goals, handing the Portuguese side their first defeat.

Porto's manager knows of the importance of this match, but he believes that it is equally as important for the visitors.

"It might be a very important game for us, but it is also very important for Zenit," said Paulo Fonseca.

"Every team has the possibility of going through in our group. Our ambition is always the same, no matter the opponent we are facing, we always want to win."

Looking back on their previous two meetings, Zenit defeated Porto in Russia by a scoreline of 3-1. At the time, James Rodriguez got the lone goal for the Dragões, but given his transfer to AS Monaco this summer, he will not be available for Paulo Fonseca. Their latest match came at the Estádio do Dragão, and ended in a 0-0 draw. 

Realistically, Tuesday's match is more important for Zenit, considering they are last in the group with one point. Another defeat for them could really make things difficult for them to progress into the next round. With Porto and Atletico Madrid favorites to take the top two spots at the moment, the Russian side will have to put on a good performance if they look to get back into the race.

Where to watch the match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores

Watch Porto vs Zenit St. Petersburg live on Tuesday, October 22, 2013:

In Canada at 14:45 ET on: Sportsnet World Online

In the UK at 19:45 BST on: Sky Go UK, Sky Sports 2/HD, Sky Sports Red Button, NOW TV powered by Sky, Sky Sports Events Centre

In the USA at 14:45 ET on: Fox Soccer 2Go

Fans in Russia can follow all the action on NTV + Sport Online. If you are in Portugal, you can watch this match live on TVI

For those fans who are outside of these viewing areas, please be sure to check the Porto vs Zenit St. Petersburg match page for full TV listings.