Samara vs Zenit. Preview

The Samara team is the last team Zenit has not played on the road yet this season. Xavi Pascual's team will open the second half of the regular season with the match of the 23rd round of the VTB United League.

Context

Among all the participating teams, Samara has probably experienced the most significant changes during the season. Since the previous match on October 30 in St. Petersburg, which ended with Zenit’s victory (92:61), Samara's roster has undergone considerable reductions.

All foreign players and Russian forward Alexander Gudumak have left the Volga team. Additionally, there was a coaching change: Vladislav Konovalov, a member of Samara’s coaching staff since 2022, replaced Drazen Anzulovic as head coach.

These significant changes within the team have affected their results. Samara is currently on a five-game losing streak, dropping to 10th place in the league standings.

With no foreign players, the team’s key roles have been taken over by center Ilya Popov (11.9 points + 5.8 rebounds) and team captain Anton Kardanakhishvili (10.5 points + 4.1 assists). Young players like Egor Amosov and Danila Chikarev could also pose a significant threat to Zenit’s defense.

Head-to-head

This will be the sixth meeting in the history of these teams. So far, Zenit has won every previous encounter.

Quotes

Zenit head coach Xavi Pascual shared his expectations for the away match against Samara:

After our loss in the last game, we want to go to Samara to have this trip and to be ready for one game and to recover our level, to play good defensively, to play good offensively without up and downs and to win this important game for us.

Who. Where. When. 

Opponent: Samara

Location: SKK Sports Palace, Samara

Date: January 8, 16:00 (St. Petersburg time)

Broadcast: Match! Igra, Okko Sport, VTB United League website, Start