Andrey Vorontsevich: "I hope tomorrow, with our fans, we will be unbeatable and unstoppable"
Comment from Zenit forward Andrey Vorontsevich ahead of the WINLINE Basket Cup Final Four, which will take place in Saint Petersburg from April 10 to 12. More details about the decisive stage of the tournament can be found in the preview on the official Blue-White-Sky Blues website.
— The team had only a few days to prepare for the Final Four. What mindset are you bringing into the decisive games?
— The mindset is fighting-ready. Of course, we want to redeem ourselves in front of our fans after the previous defeat. The mood is positive. We understand that we are playing at home. I hope the pressure of responsibility will not weigh on us. On the contrary, the stands always help, and with our fans… I hope it will be a sold-out crowd. Our fans always support us. I hope we can show good basketball and please our spectators.
At the same time, we understand that this is the final. As they say, there is nothing to lose here — everything must be put into winning. I mean in terms of energy, morale, and physical effort, and we must try to play with concentration and play team basketball.
Against an opponent like CSKA, you need to be united as one. You need to know how to endure, how to take hits, and you must stay focused for all 40 minutes of regular playing time.
— We are meeting CSKA not for the first time this season. What can you say about the opponent in their current form?
— CSKA is having a good season, first place in the regular season is a strong result. I repeat that we respect our opponent. But in this situation, there is no need to fear a tough confrontation — on the contrary, you need to enjoy the game. When you play against a strong opponent, you begin to understand who you really are, so for us this is a good challenge. It is a good test of our resilience.
Naturally, we analyze the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, but first of all we focus on our own game: how we will use our tactical actions and how we will fight on the court — that, I think, is the main thing for us right now.
And once again, it is приятно to play at home. I hope tomorrow, with our fans, we will be unbeatable and unstoppable.
