Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld bemoaned his side's profligacy in front of goal after Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Zenit St Petersburg in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final.

"We were not decisive enough and the final pass was all that we lacked in the first half."

Hitzfeld also revealed he may be without Oliver Kahn, who trapped a nerve, and Miroslav Klose, who broke his nose, in the return leg.

"Kahn will receive treatment from Dr [Hans-Wilhelm] Muller-Wohlfahrt, but after [Mark] van Bommel's break, Klose has become the next to get an unlucky break."

Zenit coach Dick Advocaat was full of praised for his side's resilience against the pre-tournament favourites.

"I'm very pleased with the way we played in the second half," the Dutch coach said.

"In the first 30 minutes Bayern created many chances. I don't know why but we were nervous."

The Russian champions have struggled at home in the new season with only one win and seven points in the first six matches while Bayern lead the Bundesliga by 10 points.

Advocaat said Zenit's success in the UEFA Cup was coming at the expense of their performance in the domestic league.

"It's quite simple," he said when asked about the success in Europe despite a mediocre start to the defence of their Russian crown.

"We don't have the same possibilities as a team like Bayern. They played with eight different players tonight from their last Bundesliga match and can still win 3-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

"That's the big difference between Bayern and my club,"he said.

Advocaat said the loss of three key players to suspension would hurt for the return leg, including Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin, voted the league's top player last season.

But he added the uneven quality of the turf in St Petersburg could give his team a distinct advantage against Bayern.

"It's a big surprise," he said when asked about the quality of the pitch in face of complaints. "It could be to our advantage."

Sporting Life / Reuters