CSKA vs Zenit. Preview
Opponent
The Moscow team is moving through the season at a confident pace. Andreas Pistiolis’ squad has 9 wins in 11 games, many of which were secured with a significant margin. However, it’s worth noting the difficulties CSKA has faced in recent away games. First, the army team struggled against Avtodor in Saratov, securing the win only in the final minutes — 82:86. And in their most recent regular-season game in Kazan, the Moscow team lost in the clutch: the victory went to UNICS, sealed by former Zenit and CSKA guard Alexey Shved’s accurate free throws. As a result of this loss, CSKA dropped from first place in the standings.
Meanwhile, in the WINLINE Basket Cup, the red-blues have played only two games, both in the capital. In the opening match of the new tournament, CSKA lost to Mega Belgrade, 72:81. The second game took place very recently, on November 18, ending in a blowout win over PARMA — 104:66. The standout performance in that match belonged to Casper Ware: the American guard tallied 31 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Returning to the VTB League, the absolute leader for the hosts is Melo Trimble, who averages 16.5 points and 4.6 assists in 26 minutes on the court (9th and 8th in the league, respectively).
Head-to-head
This season, Zenit and CSKA have already played twice. After a heavy defeat in the Supercup (79:96), the Blue-White-Sky Blues put up a fight on their home court, though they let the win slip away in the final seconds (84:85). Now we're looking forward to a matchup at Megasport, where the St. Petersburg team returns for the first time since last season’s finals.
The history of their rivalry in the VTB United League includes 61 games: 38 wins for CSKA and 23 for Zenit.
Direct speech
Zenit head coach Aleksander Sekulic on the upcoming game in Moscow:
What we can do, we can make sure that we present ourselves on the court the way we want to play. We know who we are facing. We know what are our strengths. We know what we need to take care of in order to be successful against CSKA.
We just need to execute it and be focused on the things we want to do. To execute the game plan, that's it.
We are getting much better now, so we have a team that is more complete after the injuries. I have a really good feeling after what I saw so far and we're going with a very positive mindset.
Who. Where. When.
Opponent: CSKA
Location: Megasport Arena, Moscow
Date: November 22, 16:30 (St. Petersburg time)
Broadcast: Okko Sport, Match TV, VTB League website, VK Video
