Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, Saratov and Krasnodar will host 4 regular season games on Saturday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Region) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 18:00 (14:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
Enisey: The rivals already played in Krasnoyarsk 3 weeks ago. In that game, the Yekaterinburg team managed to defeat Enisey in overtime. But since then, the Siberian team has transformed. Enisey has won 3 games in a row and gained confidence in abilities. Jovica Arsic team is eager to take revenge for the previous disappointing loss, and the current shape gives reason to hope for win.
Uralmash: The Yekaterinburg team got the first in-season Cup win this week, defeating Igokea in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But now Uralmash need to switch focus to another tournament. With a busy schedule of games, one of the key factors will be the depth of roster. And the last game confirmed that Uralmash has it. In Laktasi, in the absence of regular leaders Timofei Gerasimov and Garrett Nevels, Kirill Pisklov and Igor Novikov performed well. The guests coaching staff has a large pool of strong players, which allows to perform well even when key players are injured.
UNICS (Kazan) vs CSKA (Moscow)
Time: 14:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match TV, VK Video, VTB League website
UNICS: UNICS got its only loss of the season in Moscow against CSKA. Now the hosts will try to get revenge. Both teams are approaching with roster problems. But that doesn’t prevent them from playing great. One of the most interesting moments of this clash will be the confrontation between Alexey Shved and CSKA. The guard made a bright debut this season. In the game against Samara, he recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. However, the Moscow team’s defense will not give Shved such freedom, so it will be very difficult to repeat this result.
CSKA: In the first game between the teams in Moscow, CSKA got confident win. But it will be more difficult to repeat result in Kazan. Livio Jean-Charles has missed CSKA’s last few games. In the absence of the main center, the guests will need to come up with a clever plan to stop the opponent’s bigmen. Marcus Bingham and Jalen Reynolds are among the Top 3 in efficiency, UNICS coaching staff will be counting on dominance in the paint.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs BETCITY PARMA (Perm Region)
Time: 16:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
Avtodor: The hosts have been suffering from injuries throughout the season. After a decent start, the Volga team has 7 consecutive losses and dropped out of the Playoffs zone. In their last 3 games, the Saratov team had a good chance of winning, but lacked concentration in the decisive moments. Avtodor will try to break the losing streak against PARMA, which is also not in the best shape at the moment.
BETCITY PARMA: After a strong start, the Perm team has slowed down a bit. The last 3 games ended with losses. Among other things, the team lost at home for the first time this season. The losing streak has dropped PARMA to 7th place, which clearly does not meet the team’s ambitious plans. So PARMA is planning to start a new winning streak and return to the top of the standings.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs MBA-MAI (Moscow)
Time: 16:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: After a difficult start, the hosts are gradually finding the game. This is reflected in the team’s results. 4 wins in the last 5 games have allowed Lokomotiv Kuban to climb to 3rd place in the standings. However, the Krasnodar team still has its problems. MBA-MAI is extremely dangerous opponent, so in order to win this game, the hosts will need to stay focused from the first to the last minute.
MBA-MAI: A month ago, the rivals already played in Moscow. Then, in a tough battle, the Krasnodar team got the win. Vasily Karasev team is going to Krasnodar for revenge. This season, MBA-MAI has performed better on the road (4 wins in 6 games) than at home (2 wins in 4 games).
