Saratov, St. Petersburg and Moscow will host 3 regular season games on Wednesday.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 19:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
Avtodor: The Volga team played last game against UNICS with only 7 players, which determined the result. Milenko Bogicevic thanked the team for the courage and dedication, noting that it is not easy for a shortened roster to resist strong opponent for 40 minutes without Malik Newman and Alen Hadzibegovic. Avtodor may face similar problems against Loko, which plays fast and athletic basketball.
Lokomotiv Kuban: On Monday, the Krasnodar team announced parting ways with Royce Hamm, who played 6 games for the team. Lokomotiv Kuban is rebuilding on the fly and is far from its best shape, but even in this state will try to take the win from Saratov and strengthen its place in the Top 5. Loko has a very difficult schedule ahead: CSKA, Zenit, BETCITY PARMA, MBA-MAI and Uralmash.
Zenit (St. Petersburg) vs BETCITY PARMA (Perm Region)
Time: 19:30
Place: Russia, St. Petersburg, CSC Arena
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
Zenit: The St. Petersburg team has recovered from losses against UNICS and CSKA, winning 3 games in a row despite roster problems – Nenad Dimitrijevic and Andre Roberson missed the last games. The team is approaching the face-off with BETCITY PARMA in a lower place than many expected, although a win would allow Zenit to overtake the sensational Perm team. At the same time, the St. Petersburg team cannot be called the favorite, as the Perm team has gained momentum, defeating CSKA and Lokomotiv Kuban in the new season.
BETCITY PARMA: The Perm team currently has the longest winning streak in the VTB League with 5 games. The last time PARMA had 5 consecutive wins in January 2024. In a recent clash against MBA-MAI, the team set season-high 52 rebounds. Brendan and Jaylen Adams are in great shape. There is only one problem: Evgeny Pashutin team has demonstrated all this brilliance mainly at home (4 of 5 wins were at UDS Molot). PARMA seriousness will be put to the ultimate test in the road game against Top team.
CSKA (Moscow) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 20:00
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Broadcast: Match! Igra, VK Video, VTB League website
CSKA: The Moscow team made the right conclusions after the loss to Mega in the in-season Cup. In Saturday’s game against UNICS, CSKA had the best defense of the new season so far. If the team maintains this attitude against Uralmash, it will have an excellent chance of catching up with the Kazan team in standings.
Uralmash: The Yekaterinburg team had one of the most difficult schedules in the League at the start and suffered from injuries of key players. In the win over Enisey, the team finally had a full roster, with Yauheni Beliankou and Tyrell Nelson returning after Octavius Ellis. However, the upcoming opponent is more difficult – Uralmash is visiting the reigning champion. To avoid another drop in the standings, Rostislav Vergun’s ambitious team will have to show the best basketball.
