Two regular-season games will take place on Saturday.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs. Samara (Samara Region)
Time: 5:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Avtodor: A week ago, Avtodor defeated Samara in the Ural-Great Cup. Now the Saratov team will try to repeat that success, but this time in an official tournament. It won’t be all that easy. But the hosts have reason to be optimistic. They’re heading into this match with a full roster. Wendell Green, in particular, has recovered from his injury. This “little guy” is expected to be the black-and-whites’ main offensive force in the upcoming championship, and he’ll aim to prove it right from the team’s first game.
Samara: The visitors’ preseason has been challenging. But the “City Boys” have something the Saratov team lacks—time. The team has retained its core, and with it, the chemistry developed over the past year. This is a team with character—last season proved that time and again. And it is precisely this chemistry that could be the trump card that outweighs their opponents’ big names at the start of the season. In the last championship, the Samara team waited a long time for their first win; this time, they’ll try to secure it as early as September.
Avtodor Head Coach Rostislav Vergun:“This is a very important game for us—not only because it’s the season opener and a home game, but also because we’re facing our direct competitor, our rival. It’s a Volga derby. I’m very glad that the team is heading into the game with a full roster. In my opinion, things have gone well—everyone has returned from minor injuries, and there’s a strong desire and energy to prove ourselves. It’s important to me that we maintain our structure and cohesion throughout the entire game—as a team. I think that teamwork will be the key to our success. So I wish us, as a team, a great game. We’re really counting on the fans’ support and believe we can delight them with our play and the result.”
Samara Head Coach Miloš Pavičević: “We’re very excited that the season is starting. The grueling training camp and preseason games are behind us. My team is in good shape. We’re preparing and getting in the right mindset; we really want to start the VTB United League championship with a win.
We played against Avtodor a week ago in the Ural-Great Cup. This time, we’ll be facing a different team. Their roster will include two additional foreign players, and the Saratov team’s mindset on their home court will also be different from what it was in Perm. But that doesn’t faze us in the least. We’re going out there to play for nothing less than a win.”
UNICS (Kazan) – BETCITY PARMA (Perm)
Time: 6:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
UNICS underwent a complete overhaul this summer. Friendly matches have shown that the Volga-based team still lacks chemistry. But the Kazan squad will make up for this shortcoming at the start of the season with individual skill—and they have no shortage of that. Jalen Reynolds, Luka Šamanic, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes are the players who will lead the home team to victory in the season opener. Each of them is capable of turning the game around single-handedly. And together, they’re a force that’s hard to resist.
BETCITY PARMA: PARMA has also significantly revamped its roster. Right now, the team is still in the process of finding its footing. But the Perm team has already shown us that even when they’re not at their best, they remain a formidable force. The Ural team has plenty of talented players who can spoil UNICS’s start to the season. So in the upcoming game, the visitors won’t be going through the motions—they’ll give it their all to secure a victory.
UNICS Head Coach Milan Karakas: “We always focus solely on winning, especially at home. I believe the team is in better shape now than it was a while back. The three Supercup games showed us a lot. We saw what we’re capable of, what we’re doing well, and what we still need to work on. At the same time, we fully understand that PARMA is always a very strong and dangerous team. This was confirmed by the game we played in St. Petersburg at the Kondrashin and Belov Cup.
You can’t judge the Perm team based on the preseason, since they played without three foreign players. Now they have a full roster. I’ve been with the Kazan club for five years now, and every year we’ve had quite a few problems with PARMA; in some seasons, we lost to them several times. That’s why it’s very important for us to demonstrate our aggressive and fast-paced style of basketball. We need to understand that we’re facing a dangerous opponent and approach the game as prepared as possible—so that we can impose our playing style.”
BETCITY PARMA Head Coach Evgeny Pashutin: “Our first game of the new season is against one of last season’s championship finalists. UNICS is a strong team. Their roster has been significantly revamped and bolstered with experienced players. We have a full roster now; Joshua Primo has joined team practices. Right now, our main goal is to build chemistry on the court, improve our teamwork, and be ready for UNICS’ aggressive style of play. It’s important to play more carefully on the perimeter against their sharpshooters. We’ll try to play aggressively, building from our defense. It’s important to be mentally focused on winning every game, especially the first game of the season.”
