Andrey Vorontsevich: "It won’t be an easy walk"
Zenit’s forward Andrey Vorontsevich shared his thoughts ahead of the away game against Pari NN, which will take place as part of the 37th round of the VTB United League regular season. The match against Nizhny Novgorod will be held tomorrow, March 19, starting at 19:30 St. Petersburg time.
— Have you fully recovered and managed to prepare well for the match? There wasn’t much time after the game against Avtodor.
— I hope so. Everyone trained, and everyone understands that we are going to Nizhny, a city with strong basketball traditions and a great audience that loves the game and supports Nizhny. We know this is a team that always fights hard. They have experienced, high-level players like Khvostov and Baburin, as well as young, talented guys. They will battle, push, and play tough. It’s never easy to play against Nizhny. We understand that this won’t be an easy walk — we need to prepare for a tough, physical game. There will be a fight, so we’re ready and heading to the wonderful city of Nizhny Novgorod, which I personally love.
— Did you watch the Russian Cup final? What do you think about Nizhny’s condition after such a disappointing loss?
— Of course. I think Nizhny Novgorod will be extra motivated in a competitive way. They will want to redeem themselves in front of their fans. Nizhny always plays with character, so we know it’s going to be a tough match.
— Could we say that Nizhny is like a wounded beast, which is twice as dangerous?
— I wouldn’t say they’re wounded. They’ll give it their all, as they do in every game. Naturally, after a loss, you want to bounce back, so I believe they will put in maximum effort. Plus, they don’t have the burden of high expectations pressing on them — they’ll play for their own enjoyment and their fans.
— What are you expecting from your meeting with Igor Volkhin?
— We’ll definitely be happy to see our teammate, our battle brother. We know he’ll give his best effort because he understands our team and system from the inside. That will make things easier for him compared to other Nizhny players. Knowing him, we’ve analyzed his game, and we’ll do our best not to give him easy shots. Of course, we’ll be glad to see him, but this is a game — off the court, we are friends. However, on the court, I don’t think there will be any friends. Just opponents, each fighting for their club’s victory.
