FC Zenit St. Peterburg's Russian international forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov will miss his country's FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Portugal and is also a doubt for his club's upcoming UEFA Cup tie against AEK Athens FC

Notice of absence
Kerzhakov hurt his thigh during Zenit's Russian Premier League game against FC Amkar Perm on Monday. The 21-year-old subsequently joined up with the Russia squad but underwent a scan which revealed a tear to his right thigh. He will be sidelined for at least ten days and will then likely need another week of rehabilitation.

Comeback appearance
This leaves a question mark against his participation in Zenit's UEFA Cup group-stage opener versus AEK at the Petrovsky stadium. Ironically, the Amkar match was Kerzhakov's comeback appearance after ten days out with an unrelated thigh problem. The game ended 0-0 to keep Zenit top of the Premier-Liga.