Zenit-2 will start Super League semifinal series on the road

Zenit’s farm team continues its preparation for the first game of the Fonbet Super League semifinal against Temp-SUMZ. Oliver Popovic’s squad is facing a tough series against the regular season champions, with the opening match taking place on the opponent's court in Revda.

After finishing first in the regular season, the Ural team quickly swept Barnaul in the quarterfinals with a confident 3:0 victory. One of the standout players for Temp-SUMZ in that series was Nikita Balashov, who joined the team from Yekaterinburg during the season. In both the first and third games against Barnaul, the experienced forward was the team’s top scorer and recorded double-doubles, playing a key role in helping his team advance to the next stage of the playoffs.

Throughout the season, the Revda team has solidified its status as one of the league’s most well-balanced squads: they average 80.6 points per game while allowing only 71.3. Temp-SUMZ also ranks among the top three in blocks per game with 2.8, further highlighting their strong defensive performance.

In their regular season head-to-head meetings, the teams traded wins: Zenit-2 claimed victory on the road in the first round, 77:88, while Temp-SUMZ won the second meeting in St. Petersburg, 71:86.

Ahead of the series, Zenit-2 head coach Oliver Popovic commented:

We’re playing against the team that finished first in the regular season. They’ve proven to be one of the best, with a deep rotation. It won’t be easy — just like it wasn’t against Novosibirsk. It’s the playoffs, and in the semifinals, we’ll try to give it our all.

The first game of the series will take place tomorrow, April 16, at the Temp sports complex. Tip-off is at 16:00 St. Petersburg time. The match will be streamed on the website of the Russian Basketball Federation.