Andrey Martiuk: "We love our fans and are really looking forward to seeing them at the arena"
Zenit center Andrey Martiuk shared his expectations ahead of the first game of the VTB United League bronze medal series against Lokomotiv Kuban. The match against the Krasnodar team will take place tomorrow, June 1, in St. Petersburg at the CSC Arena court. The game will start at 19:30 local time. Tickets are available on the club's website.
— After the semifinal series, there wasn't much time to rest and reset. How did preparation go for the first bronze medal match?
— After seven games against the same strong opponent, there's usually an emotional letdown and physical fatigue. The coaching staff gave us one day off. Everyone spent that day in their own way, but the most important thing is that we all caught up on sleep, rested well, and recovered. The very next day, we got together and started preparing for a new opponent and a new challenge.
In the first home game for bronze, we'll definitely need the support of our fans. Come to the arena on the first day of summer. We love you and are really looking forward to seeing you!
— What are your expectations for the series against Loko? What can you say about the opponent's play in the final part of the season?
— Lokomotiv has always been good in transition. The team has a very high-quality transition from defense to offense. Their main asset is the fast break, and that's exactly what we have to contend with.
— In your opinion, what will be the key elements of our game in this series?
— Good defense with everyone covering for each other. Even if someone is late or makes a mistake, teammates need to help out. Second, ball movement. It doesn't matter whether you score on a particular play or not. The main thing is to move the ball, share it, and find the more open teammate who is in a better position to score. When everyone touches the ball, moves it, and plays good defense at the same time, that's almost always a sign of success. In 90% of cases, that's exactly how results are achieved.
