Zenit vs Avtodor. Preview

Immediately after the first game against MBA-MAI, the blue-whites team began preparing for their next game in the United League. On September 25th, the Avtodor will arrive in St. Petersburg. Everything you need to know about the upcoming match in our preview.

Context

Just like Zenit, Saratov team started the season with a home victory, though perhaps not as confident. In their opening United League game Avtodor fought hard to defeat Parma with a score of 67:59 and now they are heading for first away game.

As is often the case, the Volga team made significant changes to their roster during the offseason, but that has never stopped them from surprising their opponents. It’s worth noting that the summer wasn't entirely smooth for Avtodor's recruitment department. Previously announced players Weatherspoon and Garcia declined to come to Russia, forcing the club to find urgent replacements.

Bryant Crawford and Caleb Agada  joined the team at the guard positions, while Jamal Jones, Egor Sychkov, and Egor Kuleshov were signed as forwards. The rest of Avtodor's roster largely consists of players who have come through the club’s training system. For the second season the team is led by Serbian coach Milenko Bogicevic.

Connections

The most intriguing newcomer for Avtodor in the upcoming match is center Artem Klimenko. The player has returned to his home club after six years, having spent the last two seasons in St. Petersburg.

This season, Bogicevic’s staff has been strengthened by fitness coach Vyacheslav Arkhipov. During the offseason, Arkhipov worked with the Russian U16 national team, which is led by Zenit U19 head coach Roman Knyazev.

Head-to-head

In the history of the VTB United League, the teams have faced each other 25 times. The blue-whites hold a confident advantage, with 19 victories against 6 for the Volga team. In the EuroCup, the record is even at 1:1. The last official game between the teams also took place at the CSC Arena. The outcome of the meeting was decided by Vince Hunter's free throws 1 second before the siren — 86:85 and Zenit's victory.

Quotes

Zenit head coach Xavier Pascual about the second game of the season.

First of all Avtodor is a team that has an excellent coach. I have a big respect for him. I know that the team for sure will be well prepared for this game against us. We have big respect for them. So we have to be ready. But we play at home. Hopefully with a lot of supporters with us. We have to show our improvement day by day. The next game is a big opportunity to show it. 

Blue-whites forward Igor Volkhin also shared his expectations from the match.

It's definitely going to be a tough game. This season as in previous ones there will be no passing and easy meetings. First of all, we expect only victory from this match. We hope that our fans will come and support us. And, of course, we will win.

Who. Where. When. 

Opponent: Avtodor

Location: KSK Arena, St. Petersburg

Date: September 25, 19:30 (local time)

Broadcast: VTB United League website

Tickets are available on tickets.bc-zenit.com.