The youth team will end the year with an away series against MBA-MAI-Junior

Zenit U21 is heading to Moscow for the next round of the VTB United Youth League. The games against MBA-MAI-Junior will take place on December 24 and 25 at the Basket Hall court and will mark the final matches of 2024 for Roman Knyazev’s squad.

After 20 games, our opponent is at the top of the regular season standings. This season, the Moscow team has suffered only three losses, with the most recent one dating back to November 14, when Alexander Afanasyev’s team was defeated by their peers from Samara in second away game (72:63).

Currently, MBA-MAI-Junior leads the Youth League in scoring (81.5 points per game), rebounds (45.1), steals (13.2) and blocks (5.3).

Throughout the history of their rivalry in the VTB United Youth League, the teams have faced each other 24 times. So far, the Moscow team holds a slight advantage with 13 wins compared to 11 for the blue-whites.

Head coach of Zenit U21 Roman Knyazev shared his thoughts ahead of the trip to Moscow:

It so happened that we’re playing the final games of the first round against the league leaders. Our opponent is well-balanced both in terms of their roster and the style of play they demonstrate. We will have to put in significant effort to stop their offense and neutralize their size advantage. We fully understand that the outcome of the games depends on our focus, so we will work hard to ensure we head into the break in good spirits.

The game scheduled for December 24 will start at 15:00 St. Petersburg time. The December 25 match will begin at 12:00. Both games will be streamed live on the VTB United Youth League website.