Three regular-season games will take place on Wednesday.
Samara (Samara Region) vs. UNICS (Kazan)
Time: 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Sports Palace, Samara, Russia
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Samara played well in their games against Avtodor and Dynamo. It just wasn’t enough to secure a win. Now they face UNICS, which has been gaining momentum. For the “City Team,” this isn’t just another game—it’s a real test of their potential. Good news: PARMA has already shown that the Kazan team isn’t invincible. But it’s one thing to know that an opponent can be beaten, and quite another to actually do it yourself. Still, if Samara believes in itself, an upset is entirely possible.
UNICS, on the other hand, is heading to Samara on a roll. They lost their opener but then won twice—and with confidence. The game against Zenit is a story of its own. They defeated their archrival by a margin of 35 points. But now the key is not to get carried away by the euphoria. Because if they underestimate Samara, trouble is sure to follow.
Samara Head Coach Miloš Pavičević: “Our next opponent is a tough one: UNICS. We’ll try to neutralize Kazan’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses. We’ll see if we can pull it off. But we’ll give it our all. And we’ll try to delight our fans with a great game.”
UNICS Head Coach Milan Karakaš: “Our expectations remain the same. We aim to play a good game, improve on our previous performance, and, of course, win. But right now, the most important thing for us is to understand that after an excellent game against Zenit, we can’t let our guard down.
We have enormous respect for Samara. Despite not having any wins so far this season, they’re a team that always plays tough. If we don’t take them seriously, it’s easy to fall into a trap. That could create problems for us, and we don’t need that. We want to play our best basketball and win.”
CSKA (Moscow) – Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 7:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Moscow, “Megasport”
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
CSKA is having a rough start this season. A weak second half against MBA and a heavy loss in Perm at the WINLINE Basket Cup clearly show that the Muscovites are still seeking for rhythm. But given the class and character of their players, the Army Men won’t mope around for long. Having lost to one Ural team, they’ll now do everything in their power to get revenge on another. The match against Uralmash is an excellent opportunity for the hosts to remind everyone who the reigning United League champion is.
Uralmash is wrapping up its road trip in Moscow. And the “factory boys,” just like their opponent, haven’t quite found their footing yet this season. However, their ambition and the caliber of their players make Anton Yudin’s team a threat to anyone. CSKA is no exception. It’s worth remembering that last season, the Ural team came literally one step away from an away victory over the Army Men. And perhaps they’ll take that step in this very game.
CSKA Head Coach Andreas Pistiolis: “We’re facing a strong opponent with a high-quality roster—and that includes the players on the bench. So we’re expecting a tough battle, especially from ourselves.”
Uralmash Head Coach Anton Yudin: “There’s no need to introduce CSKA—they’re the champions of recent years, and they’ll be playing at home after a disappointing game in Perm. That’s why we expect them to give it their all and play with triple the energy. That’s exactly what we’ve been emphasizing in our preparations for the game.”
Zenit (St. Petersburg) vs. BETCITY PARMA (Perm Krai)
Time: 8:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, St. Petersburg, KSK “Arena”
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Zenit had an extremely unsuccessful trip to Kazan. But what’s done is done. It’s time to put the loss behind them. Time to come back with a renewed energy. Another tough opponent lies ahead. PARMA surprised everyone at the start of the season by defeating both UNICS and CSKA. So the St. Petersburg team has no time to dwell on the loss. To win this game, they’ll need skill, confidence, and a cool head.
BETCITY PARMA has become a real threat to the established powers at the start of the season. They defeated UNICS and soundly beat CSKA. Expectations have skyrocketed. Fans are hoping for a third scalp. And, it must be said, these expectations are not unfounded. The Perm team has started the season strong and is playing excellently. It’s hard to stop this machine now that it’s picked up speed.
Zenit Head Coach Duško Ivanović: BETCITY PARMA is a good team. They’ve had an excellent start to the season, defeating top teams like CSKA and UNICS. Facing them is a challenge for us, especially after that terrible game against the Kazan club. We have to prove that we’re the kind of team that competes for the championship. Compared to our head-to-head match at the Kondrashin and Belov Cup, our opponent has changed. They now have six foreign players on their roster who play well and fast.”
BETCITY PARMA Head Coach Evgeny Pashutin: “We have a long and challenging road trip ahead of us. On October 7, we play Zenit, then Uralmash on the 10th, and MBA on the 13th. Zenit has a strong roster; they’re a tough team. In our first game of the season, we beat Uralmash, then lost to UNICS. We’re taking today’s game very seriously. Our opponent has an athletic roster; they rebound well and transition quickly on both offense and defense. Our goal is to prevent them from scoring easy points and to find our rhythm on the road, while maintaining the energy we had from our last home win against CSKA.”
