The reserve team of the blue-whites will face SSOR Loko away
Zenit-2 continues its away series of games. After a victory in Rostov-on-Don, Oliver Popovic's squad is heading to Krasnodar, where the blue-whites are set for a challenging match with SSOR Lokomotiv Kuban. The game against the "railroaders" will take place as part of the 14th round of the Fonbet Super League regular season.
The home team approaches the clash with the St. Petersburg side with 5 wins and 8 losses, holding 11th place in the standings. Zenit-2, on the other hand, is currently at the top of the regular season table. Lokomotiv's position is largely due to an unsuccessful start to the championship, as the Krasnodar team lost 7 matches in a row at the beginning of the season. However, the losing streak was followed by a winning one, and Milos Pavicevic's squad has since defeated almost all of their opponents, with the exception of an away game against CSKA-2 (99:87).
In addition, the Krasnodar team continues to compete in the Russian Cup. After the first match of the Round of 16 against Chelbasket, which ended in a 93:59 victory for SSOR Loko, their team has excellent chances to advance further.
Like the blue-whites, the "railroaders" are one of the youngest and most productive teams in the Super League. On average, Krasnodar scores 80.7 points per game. Only CSKA-2 (83.5) and Zenit-2 (85.7) have higher averages. Blocked shots are another highlight, as SSOR Lokomotiv Kuban frequently stops opponents, averaging 3.9 blocks per game — the highest figure among all participating teams.
Individual stats also favor Krasnodar. SSOR Loko boasts the league's top scorer Alimjan Fedyushin (19.3 points) and top playmaker Artem Chevarenko (6.5 assists).
This game will be the 5th in the history of head-to-head encounters between the teams. Zenit-2 has won 3 of the previous matches, while the "railroaders" have won only once.
Head coach of the blue-whites Oliver Popovic — on the match against SSOR Lokomotiv Kuban:
Another difficult away game for us. Lokomotiv has been playing very well lately, I don't know what lineup they will have, two players from the starting lineup were dropped against Dynamo. In any case, we will have a very tough game, they play fast and very aggressive.
The game will take place on December 18 at the Basket Hall arena in Krasnodar. Tip-off is scheduled for 14:30 St. Petersburg time. The match will be broadcast on the website of the Russian Basketball Federation.
