Zenit-2 will host Pari Nizhny Novgorod in the first quarterfinal match of the Gazprombank Russian Cup
Tomorrow, January 7, the first match of the 1/4 finals of the Gazprombank Russian Cup between Zenit-2 and Pari Nizhny Novgorod will take place in Saint Petersburg. The game against the Volga side will be held on the court of the Basketball Academy (Severnaya Road, 12) and will tip off at 19:00 Saint Petersburg time. Admission for fans is free!
We break down all the key details of the matchup between the Blue-White-Sky Blues farm team and a top opponent.
The quarterfinals of the Russian Cup represent the highest stage the Basketball Academy Zenit system team has ever reached. Previously, only the main Zenit team advanced further in the bracket, winning the Cup in the 2023/24 season. Back then, Zenit defeated the Nizhny Novgorod team in the final.
Now, Pari Nizhny Novgorod comes to the Northern Capital to face the reserve squad of the Blue-White-Sky Blues. As a participant of the VTB United League, the team coached by Sergey Kozin is only entering the tournament at this stage, while Oliver Popovic’s players have already knocked out Yugra in a grueling two-game Round of 16 series that went to overtime (a 83:89 loss and a 97:90 win).
Overall this season, Pari Nizhny Novgorod has had a challenging run: after 19 games, the visitors sit in 9th place in the VTB United League with just five wins. One of those victories came at the start of 2026 — on January 4, the Nizhny Novgorod side defeated Enisey on the road, 76:72. Zenit-2, meanwhile, has not had any game action since its win over Metallurg on December 28.
The format of the Gazprombank Russian Cup quarterfinals calls for a two-game series. While the first game will be played tomorrow, the return leg is scheduled for January 28 in Nizhny Novgorod.
Zenit-2 head coach Oliver Popovic shared his comments ahead of the clash with the Volga team:
Compared to last season, the team has taken a step forward and will play in the Russian Cup quarterfinals for the first time in its history. We are facing a very tough game: we need to give our maximum and assess where we currently stand compared to a VTB League team. We had some issues with colds, and I hope we will be at full strength. I invite the fans to come and support our young team!
Blue-White-Sky Blues guard Dmitry Chikishev spoke about the team’s condition ahead of its first game of 2026:
We didn’t have that much time to prepare. On the first day after New Year’s we did some light running and stretching, and on the remaining days we held regular basketball practices combined with gym sessions. We will try to approach this game in optimal condition to show good basketball and advance to the next stage of the Russian Cup.
The match will be streamed on the Okko Sport.
