Samara and Moscow will host 3 regular season games on Wednesday.
Samara (Samara Region) vs UNICS (Kazan)
Time: 19:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Samara, SKK Dvorets Sporta
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
Samara: The team had an unsuccessful trip to Yekaterinburg. The loss to Uralmash is a chance for the hosts to reset. This season, Vladislav Konovalov team has shown both character and class. But so far, Samara lacks confidence in abilities. Perhaps last round fiasco will serve as a trigger and the Volga team will be ready to get win against UNICS.
UNICS: The Kazan team continues to battle CSKA for 1st place. The teams have been equal for a long time, racking up one win after another. The rivals will face in the next week. UNICS is set to visit Samara. Velimir Perasovic team is going there only for the win. The main thing is to approach the game with the right motivation, rather than writing it off as a win before the starting whistle.
MBA-MAI (Moscow) vs Zenit (St. Petersburg)
Time: 19:00 (19:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow
Broadcast: VK Video, VTB League website
MBA-MAI: A series of games against strong opponents has affected MBA-MAI’s results. In last 7 games, the Moscow team has won only once. As a result, the place in the top 6 is now under threat. Vasily Karasev team needs to get back to winning. And has a real chance to do so against Zenit. The St. Petersburg team is not in the best shape right now, and the hosts have a real chance to take advantage of their opponents’ current problems.
Zenit: Losses to Pari NN and Lokomotiv Kuban forced Zenit’s management to dismiss Aleksander Sekulic. The St. Petersburg team is currently at 5th place. And despite changes, it will be difficult to quickly improve place in standings. Zenit has difficult games ahead in Moscow. Moreover, MBA-MAI looks to be no less dangerous an opponent than CSKA. After all, the guests will need to demonstrate not only skill, but also character to win the upcoming clash.
CSKA (Moscow) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Broadcast: Match! Strana, VK Video, VTB League website
CSKA: The Moscow team is returning home after win in Perm. This is not the most ordinary event of the current season. Games against Uralmash and Zenit are ahead. Both of these teams are rebuilding, which only makes them more dangerous. In the last round, the Yekaterinburg team got win over Samara and is ready to cause a sensation at Megasport. But CSKA has skill, composure, and tactical flexibility, which should bring the hosts win.
Uralmash: The Yekaterinburg team usually plays very poorly against CSKA. But Anton Yudin took over as head coach. The guests new head coach spent a lot of time in CSKA system and knows all the strengths and weaknesses well. This experience should help him get his players in the right frame of mind for the battle with the reigning champion. Fortunately, as the first game showed, Yudin has already established connection with Uralmash players.
