Andre Villas-Boas appointed new Zenit St Petersburg coach

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas has been confirmed as the new coach of Zenit St Petersburg on a two-year deal. The Portuguese coach will start work on Thursday after Zenit's Champions League second leg with Borussia Dortmund.

Villas-Boas takes over after Zenit sacked coach Luciano Spalletti earlier this month and appointed caretaker Sergey Semak, who will be in charge on Wednesday in their Champions League return leg, with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs, although Zenit trail 4-2.

"Zenit has agreed terms on a contract with new head coach André Villas-Boas," the club said in a brief statement. "The contract will be signed and Mr Villas-Boas will be presented in St Petersburg as Zenit's new head coach on 20 March. Mr Villas-Boas's contract begins in March, 2014, and is valid for two seasons."

Zenit have recorded just a single win in the Champions League so far this season, including the group stage.