Two regular-season games will take place on Wednesday.
Uralmash (Yekaterinburg) vs. Dynamo (Vladivostok)
Time: 7:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Yekaterinburg, GAUSO “Palace of Game Sports”
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Uralmash: The Ural team snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory in Samara. On the banks of the Volga, they demonstrated strong team play: six players scored ten or more points. A deep rotation is an advantage heading into the game against Dynamo. However, the “factory team” has the fewest rebounds in the league (33.7 per game), while their opponent leads in this category (41.3). The head-to-head record favors the home team: the Yekaterinburg squad has won all six direct matchups in the Super League and the Russian Cup.
Dynamo: Vladivostok lost in a packed “Molot” arena but once again put up a decent fight. Their Ural road trip continues in Yekaterinburg. Sergei Kozin’s squad has already established itself as an offensive-minded team, but they lack a reliable defense to secure victories. The league’s rookies have allowed more than 100 points in every game they’ve lost. In their matchup against Uralmash, the visitors need to step up their defense and remain aggressive under the opponent’s basket to defeat this tough opponent for the first time.
Uralmash Head Coach Anton Yudin: “Vladivostok is playing some pretty interesting basketball. They play very fast, relying heavily on individual plays. I think this has to do with their roster: in virtually every position, they have undersized players who have excellent ball-handling and physical skills. They play a fairly fluid yet organized style of basketball. Therefore, our main task is to stop their early offense and handle each player in one-on-one situations.”
Dynamo Head Coach Sergey Kozin: “Uralmash is a well-balanced team featuring strong foreign players with experience in the VTB United League, as well as high-caliber Russian players. In a recent game, they confidently defeated Samara on the road.
We’ve had time to prepare for the upcoming game. We’ve worked on the mistakes we made in the game against PARMA.
Our goal is to play consistently and stay focused for the full 40 minutes. If we can do that, we’ll have a good chance of winning.”
Samara (Samara Region) vs. Zenit (Saint Petersburg)
Time: 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Samara, SKK “Palace of Sports”
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Samara: Miloš Pavičević’s team lost its fifth straight game on Saturday. Against Anton Yudin’s squad, Samara took the first quarter (23–17), but didn’t have enough left to go further. The Volga-based team is playing without three key players: Artem Chevarenkov, Andrei Savrasov, and Gleb Sheiko are still recovering from injuries. Now Samara faces Zenit, and to put up a decent fight, the Volga side will need to give it their all.
Zenit: The match of the week ended on a sour note for the St. Petersburg team. They alternated between strong stretches and slumps, and in the final minute, Zenit’s players missed five shots, resulting in a narrow loss. Dusko Ivanovic’s team will look to get back on the winning track in Samara, where it’s crucial not to underestimate their opponent. The St. Petersburg team has won all 15 head-to-head matchups and remains the favorite in the upcoming game as well.
Samara Head Coach Miloš Pavičević: “Zenit is an opponent that needs no introduction: one of the strongest teams in the country, with a powerful roster and a renowned coach. To give such a club a run for its money, we need to play with the utmost discipline on defense, grab rebounds, and shoot well on offense. The St. Petersburg team will punish us for every mistake. That’s why we need to try to minimize our errors and give it our absolute all.”
Zenit Head Coach Dusko Ivanovic: “I have a lot of respect for this opponent—when I watched their games, they played really well. They transitioned brilliantly from defense to offense, executed great combinations, and are a tactically disciplined team. We need to be ready for anything. The next game is always the most important one. No matter what, we should focus solely on winning.”
