Lokomotiv Kuban vs Zenit. Preview

The blue-whites head to Krasnodar for their first away game in a month. Tomorrow, on the court of Basket Hall, Xavi Pascual’s team faces a crucial battle against Lokomotiv Kuban — a matchup that could play a key role in the fight for the top spot in the standings.

Context

Krasnodar started the year confidently, securing away wins against their main Top-4 rivals — CSKA (104:106) and Zenit (98:117). However, in subsequent games, Andrey Vedischev's team suffered a few setbacks, losing to Pari NN (86:88) in January and falling to Uralmash (81:79) in a recent trip to Yekaterinburg. Despite these defeats, their position in the standings remains strong: Loko holds fourth place with a record of 26 wins and 8 losses.

Since our last meeting, Krasnodar has added two American guards to its roster. Tahjere McCall has already debuted in games against Uralmash and Enisey, scoring a total of 7 points and delivering 5 assists in nearly 35 minutes on the court. The official signing of another newcomer, John Jenkins, was announced only on March 7, and it is still unclear whether he will take the court in tomorrow’s game.

Lokomotiv confidently leads the United League in rebounds (38.6 per game) and also ranks first in steals (9.7) and blocks (4.9). In individual stats, point guard Patrick Miller stands out as the team’s top scorer (15.5 points per game) and the league’s leader in assists (6.1). On defense, Antonius Cleveland shines, ranking in the league’s top three in steals (1.9), while Kirill Elatontsev leads the tournament in blocks (1.3).

Head-to-head

The history of clashes between Zenit and Lokomotiv Kuban includes 35 games: 18 wins for the St. Petersburg side and 17 for the "railroaders". This season, the teams are meeting for the fourth time. Loko claimed both games in St. Petersburg, but Zenit secured victory in the November matchup in Krasnodar (71:77).

Quotes

Blue-whites head coach Xavi Pascual shared his thoughts ahead of tomorrow’s game:

We have to be ready for one very difficult game against one team that the last time played much better than us. It was one very bad day for our team but now everything is different. I think we are going to be ready for this difficult battle. We know that we have to care a lot about our turnovers, it always was very important against Loko. And we have to play with calm, with a good tempo, to control all the situations if we want to win. 

Who. Where. When. 

Opponent: Lokomotiv Kuban

Location: Basket Hall, Krasnodar

Date: March 9, 17:00 (Saint Petersburg time)

Broadcast: Match TV, United League website, Okko Sport