Moscow and St. Petersburg will host 2 regular season games on Saturday.
CSKA (Moscow) vs UNICS (Kazan)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Broadcast: Match TV, Start, League website
CSKA: In the summer, the reigning league champion was able to retain its leaders and strengthened by star Aleksa Avramovic, who has already earned the SuperCup-2024 MVP award. During the preseason, CSKA got only 1 loss at the start of the friendly series and had a winning streak at the Gloria Cup in Turkey. Andreas Pistiolis’ team had the best offense with an average of 95.3 points per game and won the SuperCup by beating UNICS in the final. On the back of those results, CSKA approaches the opening game with a good chance to start the regular season with a win.
UNICS: The Kazan team enters the new season with a noticeably changed roster, which has already proven its force in the SuperCup games. UNICS had the best defense of the tournament, allowing to score only 76 points per game. Velimir Perasovic team offense is also doing well, as Nenad Dimitrijevic has been replaced by Tony Taylor and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell. The revitalized UNICS looks ready for the season and heads to Moscow with a special motivation to take revenge on the rival for their losses at the SuperCup and last year’s Playoffs.
Zenit (St. Petersburg) vs MBA-MAI (Moscow)
Time: 19:00 Moscow time
Place: Russia, St. Petersburg, CSC Arena
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
Zenit: The St. Petersburg team had a good transfer campaign, adding 4 players with NBA experience, changing the captain (Sergey Karasev) and retaining the head coach. Zenit showed that its high level of defense was retained from last season at the SuperCup – along with UNICS, the St. Petersburg team showed the best defense, allowing opponents to score 76 points per game. Zenit first opponent in the regular season will be MBA-MAI, which Xavier Pascual team easily defeated in the Kondrashin and Belov Cup semifinal (80:71). But since then, the St. Petersburg team has managed to play 4 more games and establish offense, so Zenit fans have every reason to expect a win in the opening game.
MBA-MAI: Aleksandr Khomenko and Andrey Lopatin left Vasily Karasev team in the summer. But judging by the preseason games, the coaching staff was able to adapt to the changes. Progressing young players and Andrey Zubkov, who joined the team, helped MBA-MAI to beat CSKA and PARMA in the preseason and to make the trip to China without loss. At the Kondrashin and Belov Cup, the Moscow team gave Zenit a fight: in the final quarter, the team managed make a comeback and made it to the clutch, where the hosts showed the experience. MBA-MAI will go to St. Petersburg with the intention to take revenge. This will be special for Zubkov – the forward has played the last 5 seasons with the upcoming opponent.
