Zenit will host Avtodor Saratov in the Game of the Week.
Location: Russia, Saint Petersburg, Sibur Arena (capacity 7,120 spectators)
Time: December 20, 2021, 20:00 (20:00 Moscow time)
Broadcasts: Match! Strana, VTB United League Website
Rivalry
The rivalry between Zenit and Avtodor, which debuted in the VTB United League at the same time in 2014, does not belong to those that are called fundamental. The St. Petersburg team lead in the rivalry history with a 15 wins to 4, out of the last 10 games they have won in 8. In Saratov, Avtodor won only once (on April 1, 2018). The last win of the Saratov team also took place in 2018 – in December.
Zenit and Avtodor met twice in the playoffs – in the 2015/16 and 2017/18 seasons. In both cases, Zenit confidently passed Avtodor in the first round – 3-0.
Game layout
Zenit is coming to the Game of the Week after a double week in the Euroleague, which was in France: on December 15, Zenit played with ASVEL (71:61), on December 17 – with Monaco (85:74). The St. Petersburg team stopped series of losses in the Euroleague, in the VTB League Xavier Pascual’s team also shows high class game – 6-1 and 3rd place.
Avtodor gave a great start. With a 7-1 W/L ratio, the Saratov team is in 2nd place in the League, having simultaneously made it to the FIBA Europe Cup 2nd round. The game London Lions was canceled this week due to the pandemic, so the Saratov team were systematically preparing for an important game in the League. Of the grandees at this stage,Avtodor played with Lokomotiv Kuban and UNICS, so a difficult schedule awaits Emil Rajkovic’s players in the near future. The test will begin in St. Petersburg.
Avtodor is on fire
Avtodor and Zenit are the teams with two longest winning streaks in the VTB League at the moment. The Saratov team has 6 wins in a row, the St. Petersburg team has 5. Taking into account the FIBA Europe Cup, Avtodor won 12 of the last 13 games.
The last time Avtodor won 6 gamess in a row in the 2015/16 season, then the Saratov team had a winning streak of 10 games.
They had won four games in a row on the road before leaving for St. Petersburg: PARMA, Khimki, Kalev and Ensiey last season.
Humble
“We don’t think that anyone expects anything from us. We’re just trying to play our best basketball, we have too experienced a team to think about other people’s expectations. Avtodor has goals, we are going to them and at the end of the season we will see where it takes us. Of course, it’s not bad that we are breaking records, but we remain humble, we don’t stand up high. It is impossible that players will become arrogant or think that they are much better than others. We will not be in the clouds and will continue to work,” – Avtodor head coach Emil Rajkovic – about a successful start to the season.
Motivation
Zenit will have two games in a row at the end of December with the League leaders – Avtodor and UNICS – the 2nd and 1st teams in the standings at the moment. If the St. Petersburg team wins both games, it will leave for the New Year holidays as the regular season leaders, regardless of the results of other games.
Losses
Zenit has problems with the injured, especially the frontcourt has suffered. Conner Frankamp and Denis Zakharov have health problems, Dmitry Kulagin and Jordan Loyd played against Monaco with a fever. Jordan Mickey had to finish the game in Monte Carlo earlier, Mateusz Ponitka is worried about his back.
Star Shabazz Napier continues to recover after an ankle injury, it turned out that his recovery time was longer than previously predicted.
Offense
Fans have every reason to expect a bright game from the Game of the Week. Avtodor leads the League in performance (91.6 points) and 3-point percentage (42.9%). According to the same stats, Zenit is in 3rd place – 86.4 points and 38.6%.
Why Zenit can win
Despite all the difficulties of recent weeks – a slight physical decline and injuries – Zenit has shown that it is able to hold an opponent’s agression and has a large margin of safety. Everyone saw the power of the St. Petersburg team in the game with Nizhny Novgorod. “The game against Zenit showed what quality means,” Zoran Lukic stated after the game.
The trip to France confirmed the strength of one of the favorites of the season. Fatigue and personnel problems did not prevent Pascual’s team from grinding strong rivals.
Now Zenit, with its system game and reliable defense, will try to break the cheerful Avtodor players.
Why Avtodor can win
Zenit experiencing difficulties with the squad, played two games during the week, while Avtodor has been resting for the last 9 days. The Saratov team aimed at a quick game, will try to impose a high tempo on the the opponents and run them over. The energy and freshness of Avtodor can be the key factors of the Game of the Week. The desire of the Saratov team to loudly say their word again in the game with the grandee, and for Zenit the game will be more routine, is also on Avtodor side.
Who to follow
Kenny Chery. If Zenit has problems with the frontcourt at this stage due to injuries, then Avtodor fans are counting on a big profit from the actions of their point guards. The biggest expectations are connected with Chery. The Canadian guard is in great shape and is one of the leaders of the team. The 180-cm Kenny is in the Top-10 of the League in points (15.3) and assists (4.6).
Comments
Xavier Pascual, Zenit Head Coach:
— We don’t know exactly which of the players will be able to take part in the game. We have serious problems — injuries and a fever. As a coach, only at the very last moment will I be able to figure out who will play, and from this already decide how we will play. We have a game against Avtodor, which is having a great season in both tournaments. The team won all the close games in the last seconds. I hope our fans will come to support us. We will try to find a way to win this game, but everything will depend on which of the players will take part.
Emil Rajkovic, Avtodor Head Coach:
– Zenit is a Euroleague team. They have won the last two games in France, and playing at home, Zenit is considered the favorite against any opponent. We, in turn, will try to play well in defense and reasonably in offense in order to get a chance to win in the upcoming game.
