Two regular-season games will take place on Sunday.
Zenit (St. Petersburg) vs. Avtodor (Saratov).
Time: 3:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: KSK Arena, St. Petersburg, Russia
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Zenit: St. Petersburg redeemed itself in front of its fans after a heavy loss to UNICS. They need now to build on this result in their game against Avtodor, which has been quite tenacious early in the season. Zenit’s main goal is to contain Saratov’s top scorer, Wendell Green, who leads the league in scoring average (23). If Dusko Ivanovic’s players display the same level of defense as they did against PARMA, they can expect to succeed.
Avtodor: Saratov is having a successful season start, but a truly tough test awaits them in St. Petersburg. Facing a top-tier opponent brings added pressure. The depth of the roster will come to the fore, which happens to be a weakness for Rostislav Vergun’s team. Green’s efforts alone may not be enough. If his teammates support the American guard, Avtodor will have a chance to compete.
Zenit Head Coach Duško Ivanović: “Every game at the start of the season is very important, no matter who the opponent is. We need to play with great focus and concentration against Avtodor. We’re looking forward to the game.”
Avtodor Head Coach Rostislav Vergun:
“Despite yet another set of logistical challenges, we made it to St. Petersburg. We’re preparing for a game against a team with a very strong and deep roster. From their first games of the season, our opponent’s play has reflected a coaching philosophy based on aggressive defense. Under pressure, we need to find a way to maintain the structure of our game. If more attention will be on Wendell Green, the other players will have more open space. We’re expecting effective play from all our guys.”
CSKA (Moscow) vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 5:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Moscow, “Megasport”
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
CSKA: The Army Men continue to find their form. They defeated Uralmash, even though they faced some difficulties again during the game. The victory was largely due to the individual performances of Melo Trimble and Casper Ware. Next up for Andreas Pistiolis’ team is a matchup against Lokomotiv, to whom they lost recently in the VTB League SuperCup. The Muscovites need to learn from that defeat and prevent their opponent from imposing its fast-paced, attacking style of play.
Lokomotiv-Kuban: The Krasnodar team is so far undefeated and thus gaining confidence. In their WINLINE Basket Cup match, they defeated the Serbian team FMP in their typical style, winning every quarter. Their fast pace could be the key to success in Moscow as well. It’s important for Tomislav Tomović’s players to maintain a consistently high tempo for all forty minutes and not let CSKA’s leaders find their shooting touch.
CSKA Head Coach Andreas Pistiolis:
“We’re about to face a top-tier opponent—a very talented and well-prepared team. We need to learn from the mistakes we’ve made in the past and get ready for a tough battle.”
Lokomotiv-Kuban Head Coach Tomislav Tomović:
“We’re playing on the road against the defending champions—it’s clearly the toughest test of the season. The most important thing for us will be to bring the right level of intensity and respond appropriately to the physicality our opponent brings. The course of the game will be determined by whichever team is more willing to engage in physical play. Tactically speaking, I think the teams know each other well, so the desire to win and concentration will be the deciding factors.”
