The Belgium international will get the chance to test himself against Europe's elite after the 21-year-old played a major role in helping Atletico finish third in La Liga last term.Courtois, who is in his third season on loan at Atletico from Chelsea, enjoyed a stellar campaign that saw him win the Zamora award as the best goalkeeper in Spain.The Spanish club were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Rubin Kazan in the last 32 of the Europa League last term and they kick off their Champions League campaign against Rubin's compatriots on Wednesday.Diego Simeone's men secured their spot in the Champions League after finishing third in La Liga last term and they have started this season in fine form, with a 100 per cent record from four games.They meet a Zenit side who have also enjoyed an excellent start to their domestic season, with Saturday's 2-0 victory over Terek Grozny lifting them to second in the Russian Premier League.Despite losing Radamel Falcao to big-spending Monaco in the summer, Atletico still have a host of attacking talents to call upon.Chief among them is former Barcelona attacker David Villa, who boasts a wealth of experience in European competition that could prove vital.However, attacker Diego Costa starts his two-game ban and is unavailable.Visitors Zenit did not travel well during last season's competition, losing four of their five away matches, but they also have a number of attacking options at their disposal. Danny is among their key assets, with the Portuguese striker having scored six times in their last eight games. Coach Luciano Spalletti will also be hoping that Brazilian forward Hulk recovers from the hip injury that kept him out of action at the weekend.Spalletti has been tipped as a possible replacement for Cesare Prandelli as Italy coach after the World Cup, but he insisted that he was enjoying the challenge in Russia.
Match Schedule:
Competitor : Atletico Madrid vs Zenit St Petersburg
Series : UEFA Champions League
Play-Off :18:45 GMT, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013
Vicente Calderon