Astana will host Samara on Monday.
Time: 20:00 (17:00 Mpscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Zhekpe-Zhek
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Astana: The Kazakh team does not get to the playoffs and will definitely finish the regular season at the 5th place in the Group B. But Astana has a great motivation: the game with Samara will be the last home game in the 2022/23 season, and Oleg Kiselev team will certainly want to thank the fans for their support with a win. So far in the season, Astana lost in all 3 games with a minimum 14-point difference. At the same time, the Kazakh team has significantly improved. Astana played the last road game a month ago, while Samara played in Perm on Thursday. The Kazakh team will not have any psychological pressure, but its opponent’s lose may change a lot in the fight for the playoffs.
Samara: The League newcomer really had a difficult schedule last week: first a trip to Perm, then a long flight to Kazakhstan, where the game will also not be an easy. Sergey Bazarevich team needs to regain strength and approach the game with Astana ready mentally and physically. The rivalry history is completely on Samara side, but anything can happen. Samara cannot lose, because in case of defeat in Kazakhstan, the team will fall to the 4th place in the Group B less than 2 weeks before the end of the second stage. If Samara plans to get into the playoffs in its debut season in the VTB League, the Volga team needs to prove it in any conditions.
