St. Petersburg will host WINLINE Game of the Week between Zenit and UNICS On Wednesday.
Place: Russia, Saint Petersburg, CSC Arena
Time: April 15, 2026, 19:30
Broadcasts: VK Video, League website
Rivalry
Zenit and UNICS finished 1st and 3rd in the regular season standings and did not face in the playoffs, but ended up with silver and bronze.
In their first clash of this season, UNICS defeated the rival – 104:77. The second game at the CSC Arena on November 5 also ended with guests win —91:72. On December 20, UNICS defeated Zenit again in the United League, this time at home – 88:75.
However, in March, Zenit defeated UNICS twice in Kazan: first in the League (82–75) and then in the Cup (85–77), which allowed to secure the spot in the Final Four.
The clubs have faced each other 48 times in total, with UNICS leading the series 26-22.
Intrigue
The regular season is coming to an end. UNICS has already secured second place. Zenit (27-11), meanwhile, continues its battle with Lokomotiv Kuban (25-13). Both teams have 2 games left to play. The Krasnodar team has advantage in head-to-head, 2 wins for Tomislav Tomovićlc team would allow to jump into the Top 3. This would allow to avoid an unpleasant matchup with BETCITY PARMA in the first round and with CSKA in the second. After facing UNICS, the St. Petersburg team will wrap up the regular season with a game against the Moscow team.
A win in this INLINE Game of the Week would guarantee Zenit third place.
New faces
Earlier this week, UNICS signed a contract with 30-year-old American guard Elijah Stewart.
Stewart started the season with the Israeli club Bnei Herzliya. In the Champions League, he averaged 19.4 points, 3.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks.
This is the second new signing made by the Kazan team this spring. Xavier Manford, who joined earlier, has played a total of 4 games. Helping newcomers to adapt over the last 3 games is one of the key tasks for Velimir Perasovic.
After Final Four
Zenit and UNICS are returning to the rhythm of the VTB League following the WINLINE Basket Cup Final Four, which took place on April 10–12 in St. Petersburg.
The Kazan team reached the final, where lost to CSKA, while the St. Petersburg team lost both of games, finishing at fourth place.
Rehabilitation
Zenit looked strong after Dejan Radonjic arrival, but has recently slowed down a bit, suffering 3 consecutive losses in St. Petersburg. Prior to the upset at Final Four, there was also the loss to Uralmash in the League.
Now Zenit urgently needs to get back to winning in case to avoid further pressure.
Stats
Zenit (87.9) and UNICS (86.7) are in the top 3 in scoring average, trailing only CSKA (92.5).
Zenit (48.3) and UNICS (47.2) are also in the top 3 in field goal percentage.
The Kazan team leads the League in assists—22.0 per game.
UNICS leads the league in blocks—4.2 per game.
Zenit commits fewer turnovers than any other team—11.4 on average.
