Alexander Shcherbenev: "We analyzed the opponent and will be fully prepared to win"

Zenit St. Petersburg's guard Alexander Shcherbenev shared his expectations for the upcoming game against Avtodor and told some details of the team's preparation for the match. In our interview e also discussed the emotions from the start of the season and his experience working with Saratov's head coach.

— Alexander, could you tell us what your expectations are for the upcoming game against Avtodor? What kind of team is opponent and what personal memories do you have associated with them?

— They're a good team. They showed a solid performance in their first game, so it will be tough. But we’re playing at home, with our home fans and support, so we have to win. That’s why we’ve prepared, analyzed the opponent, and will be fully ready to play for the win. About the the Avtodor I can say that I worked with their head coach a little. I was with him when he was an assistant at Lokomotiv-Kuban, so I know him. He’s a great coach, understands basketball well. It won’t be easy, but overall, once again, we’ve analyzed the opponent, their strengths and weaknesses. We're getting ready for tomorrow's game.

— What kind of "homework" have you done? Perhaps Xavier emphasized something in particular?

— We watched footage of their previous game. How they defend, how they attack. We made some notes for ourselves and worked on those in practice.

— How did you spend your time after the first game? What feedback did you get for your performance in your official debut?

— Yes, many friends, parents and my wife congratulated me on my official, you could say, debut, and my first points for Zenit. I’m happy that we won. The most important thing is that I helped the team. I hope we continue on this winning path.

— Did you enjoy the atmosphere at the CSC Arena? In your opinion, how do St. Petersburg fans differ from Krasnodar fans?

— Yes, of course, I liked it. You could hear the fans, especially our fan section. It’s nice that people are coming, supporting us. Before that, there was football, and still, people came out here. It’s nice, and it really helps us. I wouldn’t compare — both teams have great fans. They help us, and we always look forward to seeing them, especially at the next game.

— Zenit's football team has a match against Krasnodar coming up, which many are calling the main game of the autumn. Who will you be rooting for, and what do you expect from the game?

— I expect a very beautiful match, and it’s hard to pick a side. The stronger team will win. They’re really going to fight for the top spot, and as I’ve read, there’s a lot of buzz in Krasnodar — all the tickets are sold out. So, it should be a great game of football.