PARMA will host CSKA, Zenit versus Loko. Preview January 11

PARMA will host CSKA, Zenit versus Loko. Preview January 11

Krasnoyarsk, Perm, St. Petersburg and Samara will host 4 regular season games on Saturday.

Enisey (Krasnoyarsk region) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)

Time: 17:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: Start, VTB League website

Enisey: The Siberian team played all of New Year’s games in Krasnoyarsk. The team used the home court advantage – beat Astana and Avtodor and had equal game versus UNICS. This home games series will end with a clash against Pari NN. And here Enisey will have every chance to win. A great defense can be the key as the team has allowed opponent to score 71.3 points in the last 3 games.

Pari Nizhny Novgorod: This game will be another challenge for Nizhny Novgorod. The Volga team has lost shape lately. The team has just 1 win in 5 games, and last 4 road games were losses. But the Pari NN had their brightest game of the last month against Enisey. Nizhny Novgorod beat the Siberian team by 17 points – 83:66. Sergey Kozin team will try to repeat that result in Krasnoyarsk.

PARMA (Perm Region) vs CSKA (Moscow)

Time: 17:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: TV Start, VTB League website

PARMA: The Perm team has picked up a good pace with 4 wins in the last 5 games. PARMA ready to host the League reigning champion. Samson Ruzhentsev will be especially motivated. The forward is on loan this season and CSKA owns the rights to him. It will be the first game against the Moscow team for the player. Ruzhentsev is playing excellent basketball after recovering from his injury. He has established himself in the team’s starting five and is the best scoring player (16.8 points per game).

CSKA: The trip to Perm is traditionally an uncomfortable one for any team in the League. The Moscow team is no exception. CSKA has already got a win in UDS Molot this season. But that was at the start of the season, when PARMA was still looking for its game. Now the hosts have become more dangerous and CSKA will face a tough opponent. Even a day before the game, all tickets were sold-out.

Zenit (St. Petersburg) vs Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)

Time: 15:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, St. Petersburg, CSC Arena
Broadcast: Match TV, Start Triumph, League website

Zenit: After the winning streak, the St. Petersburg team lost twice against UNICS. That pushed Zenit to second place in the standings. The Kazan team is just one step behind. It won’t be easy to beat Loko, even at home. Xavier Pascual team has problems with injured players. Trent Frazier and Dwayne Bacon were injured during the game against UNICS.

Lokomotiv Kuban: The Krasnopdar team has also been unstable in recent games. The team defeated UNICS and CSKA, but lost to Samara and PARMA. Such instability has allowed Loko rivals to pull away in the fight for first place in the standings. The upcoming rivalry will be a great opportunity to get closer to leaders. Especially since the Krasnodar team has already defeated Zenit in St. Petersburg this season.

Samara (Samara Region) vs MBA-MAI (Moscow)

Time: 18:00 (17:00 Moscow time)
Place: Samara, SKK “Dvorets Sporta”.
Broadcast: TV Start, League website

Samara: After the December win over Loko, the Volga team lost in 6 games in a row. In most of those games, Samara was very close to its opponents. Now the hosts will have a great opportunity to end the losing streak. A lot in the upcoming game will depend on whether Anton Kardanakhishvili will play. Samara leader was injured in the previous round against Zenit.

MBA-MAI: This game will also be of great importance for the Moscow team. MBA-MAI will catch up with Samara in the standings in case of win. The teams are now fighting for the 10th place and getting into the play-in. The guests has a good mood. The team beat Pari NN and ended the losing streak. Now MBA-MAI will try to please the fans again.