The former Celtic man felt his old side deserved more of a lead than 1-0 to take to Russia after a dominant display last Thursday.
Donnelly knows all about the pressures of playing away in Europe for Celtic and was a part of the side on the losing end of a tough encounter against FC Zurich in the UEFA Cup that ended 4-2.
Earlier in that campaign the midfielder bagged Celtic’s winner in an away fixture in Portugal, and the 43-year-old believes one goal should be all they need on the night.
Having made the far better chances in the first leg, as well as enjoying nearly 60 per cent of the possession, the Hoops out shot Mancini’s men 11 to five, while Zenit managed to block six attempts from the pressing Celts.
Having put in such a shift in the home leg, Donnelly believes Rodgers’ side deserved more than a 1-0 lead to take to St Petersburg, but believes they will make it through nonetheless.
“I think [Celtic] will go through, I think they have to score [in Russia], I think Zenit will score,” Donnelly told PLZ Soccer, “They’ve showed enough over the first 90 minutes that they’re capable of doing that.
“I just hope that they don’t rue the chances from the first leg. I think the first leg performance deserved more than a 1-0 to take [into the second leg].”
One major positive for Celtic is that they go to Russia having not conceded an away goal, which had an added sense of achievement given the dire state of the Hoops’ defence at times this season.
On top of this, pulling out a result amid the current injury crisis is testament to the strength and depth of the squad and, should Celtic make it through the tie on Thursday night, the club and the rest of the SPFL can be proud of the job done by the nation’s sole European representatives.
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