Both sides lost their opening Group G fixtures, Zenit going down 3-1 away to Atletico Madrid while Vienna's first-ever Champions League group stage outing ended in disappointment with a 1-0 home defeat to Porto.
The Russian side will be hoping to continue their good run of form at home in Europe, having won five of their last six and lost just one of their last 23 at the Petrovsky Stadium in continental action.
Vienna's last away fixture in Europe saw them defeat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the qualifying stages.
Nenad Bjelica's side boast a decent away record in Europe, having lost just two of their last eight games on the continent.
Zenit come into the game as Russian Premier League leaders, sitting above Spartak Moscow having lost just once in their opening 11 games after a 4-2 win over the second-placed side on Saturday.
Vienna are faring less well in the Austrian Bundesliga, currently sitting fifth in the table.
Champions last year, they have struggled for consistency this season, drawing three and losing three times so far, including a 1-0 defeat to Admira Wacker on Saturday.
Vienna have been dealt a blow ahead of the game with forward Marko Stankovic ruled out for around a month with a calf injury, meaning that he will miss the trip to Zenit.
The Russians, meanwhile, will once again be led by forward Hulk, with the Brazilian in a rich vein of form having scored seven times in nine matches so far this season.
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