Zenit will host UNICS in the Game of the Week.
Time: 16:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, St. Petersburg, KSC Arena
Broadcast: TV Start Triumph, Match TV, League website
Zenit vs UNICS! The reigning champion goes against the Super Cup – 2023 winner!
Rivalry history
The rivalry between Zenit and UNICS is a principle. More than once, the St. Petersburg and Kazan teams players have played in the Playoffs, blocking each other’s path to medals. In the 2016 Semis, UNICS defeated Zenit and reached the Final (and the Euroleague), 2 years later the St. Petersburg team won the Final Four bronze medal game.
In the last two seasons alone, the teams have played 17 games, including in two Playoffs Semifinals.
In 2022, Xavi Pascual team won the series 3-1 and advanced to the Finals, where they won their first-ever League title. A year later, Velimir Perasovic team won the main series of the year in a 7-game thriller – and also finished the season as the League Champions.
The overall score is 19-18 and the lead by UNICS.
October
At the end of September, Zenit won the United League Super Cup for the second time in a row, while UNICS stumbled in the first game and had to play for 5-8 places.
But at the start of the 2023/24 season, the teams seemed to switch roles. Zenit lost the first game at home to Uralmash and a week later failed to win at home against CSKA.
Gradually, Pascual and his coaching staff tuned the system on now: the St. Petersburg team won 3 times out of 4 last games and was very close in Krasnodar, but failed to finish las possession after a timeout and lost. After the first month of the season, Zenit is only fifth in the standings with a 4-3 record.
UNICS, on the other hand, has the opposite. The only unexpected loss came in against Samara. In that game, the Kazan team seems forget how to guard: the team allowed their opponents to score 104 points and trailed by 11. The last time UNICS allowed more than 104 points was in November 2019, when the team lost to Khimki.
However, all 5 wins were ended with a double-digit difference. Avtodor provided the most resistance – the difference was only 10 points. The reigning champion is second in the standings, trailing only to CSKA.
Players Duel
Thomas Heurtel vs. Nenad Dimitrijevic.
The rivalry between the two top guards reached a new level in the 2023 Semifinals, where both players showed incredible quality basketball. Now, in St. Petersburg, we should expect another bright duel, as Thomas and Nenad are the best in assists not only in their teams, but in the entire League.
In addition to their playmaker skills, Heurtel and Dimitrijevic can create chances. Who will be better at leading their team’s offense this Sunday?
Coaches Duel
Xavier Pascual (Zenit) and Velimir Perasovic (UNICS) are renowned European specialists who started their coaching careers quite a long time ago: Pascual 15 years ago, Perasovic 20. In the United League, they have faced each other 17 times, and in 10 of them the Spanish coach won.
Sunday’s game in St. Petersburg will be the 50th game between Pascual and Perasovic. Zenit coach currently holds a 31-18 advantage in games won.
Old-New Friends
Vince Hunter won the League title with UNICS in May before moving to Zenit in the summer and leads the St. Petersburg team in rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.7). This will be the first game between Hunter and UNICS after the forward departure.
