Krasnodar and Kazan will host 2 regular season games on Sunday.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match TV, VK, VTB League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: The season will begin in Krasnodar. Loko will try to please fans and not spoil Anton Yudin’s debut as head coach. The Krasnodar team had a good summer transfer campaign, looked confident in preseason games and is in good shape for the start of the season. This game will be especially important for Jeremiah Martin. Last season, the guard was the leader of Uralmash, but forced to leave the club in the summer. In this game, he will try to prove to the opposing team’s management that this decision was a mistake.
Uralmash: In the last Playoffs, Loko knocked Uralmash out in the first round. Now the Yekaterinburg team will try to take revenge. One of the reasons for past failures, according to the team management, was difficult logistics. With the opening of the airport in Krasnodar, it has become much easier to get there. So now nothing should prevent Uralmash from showing best basketball. The level of the players allows Rostislav Vergun’s team not only to put up a fight, but also to beat Loko.
UNICS (Kazan) vs BETCITY PARMA (Perm Region)
Time: 18:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, VK, VTB League website
UNICS: The Kazan team did not play a single game with optimal lineup during the preseason. But even without some leaders, UNICS confidently defeated PARMA twice. Moreover, former Perm team players C.J Bryce and Ruslan Abdulbasirov performed brilliantly in those games. But in the upcoming game, the hosts need to forget about past successes. UNICS is entering the new season in a state of rebuilding, which always carries unpredictability.
BETCITY PARMA: The Perm team made some good signings in the summer. Five strong international players joined the team, and the club retained most of its leading Russian players, plus young talents Gleb Firsov, Lev Svinin, and Ivan Egorov have finally secured places in the main team. All this gives the team’s fans cause for optimism. The Perm team will begin to justify this in Kazan. PARMA is quite capable of starting the season with a win, even considering the status of first opponent.
