Zenit vs Avtodor. Preview
Opponent
During the off-season, Avtodor underwent significant roster changes. Most of last year’s quarterfinalists’ foreign players left the team over the summer. They were replaced by young American guard Terrence Edwards, Qatar national team center Alen Hadzibegovic, and the VTB United League’s top scorer of 2023, Malik Newman, who returned to Saratov for the third time. However, in the season opener neither Malik nor Alen will be available to help the Saratov side. For St. Petersburg fans, another acquisition was especially notable — Zenit’s forward Igor Volkhin joined Avtodor on loan.
In the preseason, our opponent participated in several friendly tournaments. The last of them was the home Rodionov Memorial Cup, where the black-whites confidently defeated MBA-MAI in the final with a score of 92:73. After all the summer changes, Milenko Bogicevic’s team — entering his third season as Avtodor’s head coach — faces a serious challenge.
Head-to-head
This will be the 29th matchup between the two teams in the VTB United League. Zenit holds a confident lead — 23 wins against 6 for Avtodor.
Direct speech
Zenit’s head coach Aleksander Sekulic on the first regular season game:
— First of all, we want to look good. I think we did a great job so far regarding the practices, preparing the team, so we want to perform accordingly to this. Regardless who's the opponent, we want to play up to the maximum of our abilities. And of course Saratov is a team that we need to respect a lot. It's start of the season. It's a first round It's always important how you start the season. So we take this game like it's our most important game right now.
Zenit's guard Alexander Shcherbenev also shared his thoughts ahead of the home game:
— What are your expectations for the game against Avtodor?
— We’re excited because we’re opening the season. It’s great to start at home. Especially after the tough loss in the Supercup final, we have something to prove, something to show, and we want to redeem ourselves in front of our fans. So we’ll be happy to see everyone in the stands and will do our best to win.
— What do you expect from your opponent?
— A good team, a good coaching staff, solid roster, Igor Volkhin — well-known to all of us. A fast, ambitious team that will fight for every ball. That’s why we’re approaching this game with maximum seriousness, to start the season on a positive note.
— At the team presentation you hit 5 out of 5 from three-point range, and against CSKA — 4 out of 5. Is this your new deadly weapon for the upcoming season?
— I hope so. I’ll try to contribute in this way and keep this tradition going.
Who. Where. When.
Opponent: Avtodor Saratov
Location: CSC Arena, St. Petersburg
Date: October 1, 19:30 (local time)
Broadcast: Match! Igra, VTB United League website, VK Video
