Torino coach Giampiero Ventura has insisted that his side’s failure to get in a training session at Zenit St Petersburg’s Petrovsky Stadium will not prove costly for them.
The Granata overcame Athletic Club of Bilbao in the previous round, and the former Bari boss expects a tougher tie this time around, against the side leading the way at the top of the Russian league and have perhaps not been helped by the fact that they did not manage to get in a customary training session at the venue of the match.
Ventura said: “Compared to the match against Athletic, there will be greater difficulties. We are going to face a team who are dominating their championship but it is nice to approach a game like that for us.
“It is definitely going to be an important experience for us to come against a team who will be expected to be among the favourites to win the competition.
“We have not trained here but I do not think this will be important. We trained in Italy before we left and the important thing is that we trained well and did so on our own pitch.”
He also admitted to trying to get into contact with ex-Zenit boss Luciano Spalletti to see if he could shed some light on the task ahead for Toro.
“I wanted to get hold of Spalletti and ask him for some advice,” revealed Ventura. “But I know that he is abroad at the moment and so I did not want to disturb him.
“Villas-Boas is a young coach but occupies a bench of great prestige at Zenit which shows his ability.”
