Two regular-season games will take place on Sunday.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Krasnodar) vs. Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Krai)
Time: 1:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket-Hall Sports Complex
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Lokomotiv-Kuban: The recent Supercup games showed that Loko is entering the season in excellent form. Even without several key players (Marcos Knight, Trevelin Queen…), the Kuban team proved they remain competitive against Europe’s top teams. Now the hosts need to carry that momentum over to official games. A win in the season opener will be extremely important for them. After all, this game will take place on Krasnodar’s birthday. So the “Railroaders” will do everything in their power to give their fans a double celebration.
Enisey: Under the leadership of Jovica Arsić, the Krasnoyarsk team usually has a slow start to the season. But this time, they’ll try to break that tradition. Throughout the preseason games, the Siberians have improved with each game. While Enisey’s roster may not be studded with star names, the visitors have always been known for their grit. They’re sure to demonstrate that spirit on the court at Basket Hall. Among the local highlights, expect Egor Vanin to make his first start in the VTB League. Also, watch out Loko product Daniil Sheyanov to make his debut for Enisey. The forward is returning home in a new role, which adds an extra layer of intrigue to the game.
Lokomotiv-Kuban Head Coach Tomislav Tomović: Enisey is a unique team that we respect greatly. For many years, they’ve been led by a great coach who knows how to quickly establish a rhythm for the game. Last season, we had some exciting matches against them. On Sunday, we’ll need to show the same level of aggression and toughness as we did in the Supercup, while also trying to take a step forward in terms of our team play. It’s great that we’re not only kicking off the season at home, but also doing so on City Day. We’ll try to give a gift to all of Krasnodar and to our fans, whom we’ve missed dearly.
Enisey Head Coach Jovica Arsić: “In the preseason games, Loko played the best basketball of any club. Their level will best show us what we need to do in the future to become as good as we want to be. The new players aren’t adapting to the system as quickly as we’d like, but, I’ll say it again, we’re doing everything we can.”
MBA (Moscow) – CSKA (Moscow)
Time: 3:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
MBA: Sergey Voznyuk’s debut will come in the Moscow derby. CSKA is an extremely tough opponent for any team, and the “Academics” are no exception to this rule. So the home team’s new head coach will immediately face a stern test. But MBA has always been known for not being intimidated by the favorites. So even without their star players Andrei Zubkov and Pavel Savkov, they’ll put up a fight against the reigning champions. Their fast-paced style of play—which Voznyuk instilled in the team during the offseason—will help them do just that. It’s no guarantee of victory, but it’s a guarantee that it won’t be boring.
CSKA: The Army Men have never lost to MBA in their history. Not once. That statistic is reassuring—and that’s precisely where its greatest danger lies. Last season, the Red-and-Blues narrowly avoided defeat twice in the Moscow derbies. That should serve as a warning to them. Any underestimation of the opponent in the locker room will spell trouble for CSKA on the court. If the defending champions approach this game without the right mindset, their ambitious opponent will certainly try to punish them for it.
MBA Head Coach Sergey Voznyuk: “We’re kicking off the new season with a game against the defending champions. We understand CSKA’s strength, as well as their consistency and disciplined style of play. During the offseason, the team made just one minor change; our depth and rotation remain intact, and our chemistry is still there. For us, this is our first test—a true test of our resilience. We’ll be able to gauge how well our preseason preparation went. Tomorrow, it will be important to stick to our game plan and not get thrown off by CSKA’s style. First and foremost, we’ll try to stay focused and avoid making mistakes. Unfortunately, we’ve suffered some losses to our roster, but the team is determined to put up a fight, and we’ll do everything we can to demonstrate our strength on the court.”
CSKA Head Coach Andreas Pistiolis: “This is the season opener. Our opponent is a formidable team, especially when playing at home. We need to work on the mistakes we made in previous games and play better if we want to win.”
