Alexander Kerzhakov ready to make history with Zenit St Petersburg

The minus 15°C temperature in Moscow not an advantage against Benifica says striker, and Arsene Wenger prepares Kieron Gibbs for AC Milan match.

Alexander Kerzhakov and Zenit St Petersburg have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time.

Alexander Kerzhakov, the Zenit St Petersburg striker, does not think the sub-zero temperatures in Russia will give his side an advantage in their Champions League clash with Benfica.

Thermometers are set to drop to minus 15°C at the Petrovsky Stadium tonight, with the freezing conditions likely to affect the visiting team more than the hosts.

Zenit booked their place in the knockout stages for the first time in their history with a goalless draw against Porto and will go in search of another Portuguese scalp in their last 16 tie.

However, Benfica will be tough opponents after they topped a group which contained Manchester United, who were knocked out of the competition thanks in part to the 2-2 draw at home to the Lisbon side.

Despite this, Kerzhakov is confident the Russian Premier League champions can get a result, with their only advantage in the testing conditions a packed stadium of home support.

"Basically, the weather conditions are the same for everybody. I wouldn't talk about that as being an advantage. The fact that we're playing at home, and that the stadium will be full - that's where our advantage lies.

"We've probably had to play in weather like this more often than our opponent has but I don't think that's an advantage for us."

Zenit's Portuguese attacking midfielder Danny will miss the clash after being ruled out for the rest of the campaign with ruptured knee cruciate ligaments, with 20-year-old Maksim Kanunnikov set to take his place.

Kerzhakov, who has scored 16 goals in 22 league appearances this season, said he hoped his side would win the game for the club's supporters.

"We have to play both for ourselves and for all the fans who are writing this history together with us as this is just as important for them as it is for us," Kerzhakov said.

Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, says that Kieran Gibbs is “physically and mentally ready” to return to the side against AC Milan tonight.

Injuries have restricted the England international to nine club appearances so far this season and he has not played since a 2-1 win over Sunderland on October 16.

Thomas Vermaelen has filled in at left back in the absence of Gibbs and Andre Santos, but the Belgian is likely to return to his familiar central role against Milan now that Per Mertesacker has been ruled out.

Gibbs is the obvious candidate to start on the left, and Wenger has no qualms about handing the 22 year old his comeback in such a big game.

“To be a player is to come in and show how good you are when you get your chance,” the manager told Arsenal.com.

“I believe physically and mentally he is ready. But if I start him, which is not decided yet, I do not want to put too much pressure on him because we want a good team performance. Gibbs is a good player.

“I will find the most natural [solution], which means I will put Vermaelen back in the middle. Gibbs looks to be ready so I might look to start him but I have not decided completely yet.”

Wenger also said the first knockout round of the Champions League will tell us plenty about the relative strengths of the Premier League and Serie A.

Italy have the most representatives in the last 16 of the competition with Milan facing Arsenal, Napoli taking on Chelsea and Inter Milan up against Marseille.

“Of course you can make comparisons between the two leagues,” he said. “Let’s not forget that Napoli already knocked Man City out of the Champions League and we already knocked Udinese out.

“They are one of the better teams in the league. So yes, comparisons can be made after these games.”

And the French manager said the two clubs facing each tonight are very similar.

“They have the same philosophy, that means they look after their players, they have a family attitude towards the way they treat the players, and we have exactly the same,” he said.

“They do it by keeping their players a bit longer and we have done it with some younger players but basically the philosophy is not so different.”

Vermaelen is expecting a “special night” at the San Siro.

“We are all really excited,” Vermaelen told the club’s official website. “It is a big game – an important one too – so it’s a good one to look forward to. For everybody it will be special so it will be a great evening.

“The San Siro is a great stadium of course and it will be a great evening. I think it is probably the best game of the round and a lot of people will be watching.”