Zenit-2 will begin Gazprombank Russian Cup campaign on the road

The Blue-White-Sky Blues’ farm team is set to enter its second tournament of the 2025/26 season. The first match of the Gazprombank Russian Cup Round of 16 against Yugra will take place in Surgut today. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming clash.

Finishing in the top-6 of the FONBET Super League last season allowed Zenit-2 to start this year’s Cup campaign directly from the Round of 16. Their opponents in the two-legged tie will be Yugra from Surgut. Unlike Zenit-2, Artem Olkhov’s team began the tournament one stage earlier. In the Round of 32, the Siberian side confidently defeated Rostov’s BARS-RGEU both away and at home — 85:96 and 95:72.

The last meeting between the two teams took place on October 22, also in Surgut, as part of the FONBET Super League. Back then, Zenit-2 pulled off an incredible comeback, overturning a 24-point deficit to win 84:91.

Yugra’s most productive player this season remains guard Kirill Salmin, who averages 14.0 points in 29 minutes on the court.

Zenit-2 forward Egor Evstafiev shared his thoughts ahead of the first leg of the Gazprombank Russian Cup Round of 16:

Overall, our mindset doesn’t change — we always want to win. A new tournament is always exciting, so we’ll try to give 100% and show our best result. Preparation went very well: everyone’s ready, focused, and highly motivated to play. Do we think about the previous game against Yugra? Honestly, every team improves from game to game — things change, new plays appear. So it’s the same team, but with new elements.

The game will be held at the Energetik sports complex, starting at 17:00 St. Petersburg time. The match will be broadcast live on the Okko Sport.