Astana — CSKA, 02 October 2024
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VTB-League.com
Our team has moved to Astana, where tomorrow CSKA will play the second of three away games in a row…
It is vital
“As we enter the second leg of this three-game tour, it’s crucial that we maintain our focus and game rhythm, while continuously working on improving our performance,” said CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. “Every step we take this season is vital, and we must approach each game with this mindset.
Two practice sessions before the game in Kazakhstan are also designed to help the mood. The team stayed in Krasnoyarsk after the victory over Enisey only overnight, continuing the tour on an Aeroflot charter the next morning. So, despite the away status of the game, the preparation is quite regular.
Rolled away from the velodrome
This season, Astana again refused to host the visitors on the local velodrome. Now the club's home arena is the Zhekpe-zhek Martial Arts Palace, where the Muscovites have already played and won.
A lot has changed in the roster compared to last season. Since February, the team has been headed by Greek specialist Fotios Takianos, who replaced his Russian colleague Oleg Kiselev. Of all the foreigners, only Markell Johnson remains on the roster. However, his participation in the game vs CSKA remains in question - due to an injury, the guard took part only in the opening game of the VTB League season. According to the press service of Astana, we also should not expect the appearance of injured T.J. Starks. The appearance of the recovering ex-CSKA center Andrei Desyatnikov is also in question.
In such conditions, additional workload will fall on the shoulders of other foreigners - Daniel Utomi (12.3 points in the first three games) and James Murray-Boyles (11.0 points). We will be watching with particular interest the actions of Danila Pokhodyaev, a pupil of the CSKA youth team. At the start of the tournament, he gets significant playing time (21.3 minutes), averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Past matchups
Win-loss record: 28-0
Games of 2023-24 season:
28-Oct-2023. CSKA – Astana: 96-66 (+30)
03-Dec-2023. Astana – CSKA: 78-112 (+34)
Brief dossier
BC Astana (Astana, Kazakhstan)
Founded: 2000
Colors: yellow, blue
Home court: Zhekpe-zhek Martial Arts Palace (5,000).
CEO: Samson Arakelian
Head coach: Fotios Takianis
Website: pbcastana.kz
Trophy case: 11-time Kazakhstan champion (2012-15, 17-23), 11-time Kazakhstan Cup winner (2011-14, 17-21, 23, 24), FIBA Asian Champions Cup bronze winner (2017)
