Zenit — CSKA, 07 December 2024
LIVE: Match TV, Match! Igra, Start Triumph
MatchTV.ru, SportBox.ru, VTB-League.com
22:40: Match! Strana
Dec 8 (Sun):
Match! Strana: 6:00
Match! Igra: 8:00
Tomorrow in St. Petersburg the first and second teams of the VTB League standings will meet. Our team is coming to visit Zenit...
Rival with a streak
Currently, the Muscovites and the St. Petersburg team are separated by only one victory - the one that the red-blues had in head-to-head meeting in October in the packed Megasport. It turned out to be the second for the blue-white-blues as earlier they lost away game to Lokomotiv-Kuban. Since their visit to Moscow, Xavi Pascual's squad have not lost a single time, winning nine games in a row - now this is the second longest streak in the League after CSKA.
In Zenit's game, one thing is absolutely clear: the leadership functions are entirely entrusted to the six foreigners led by Dwayne Bacon (16.0 points) and Xavier Moon (14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals). It is interesting that the most productive of the Russians right now is defensive specialist Georgy Zhbanov (5.8 points), who has a permanent place in the rotation and consistently plays a lot of minutes (18.0).
In full force
After a difficult victory over Samara, CSKA got the only day off, after which they began to focus on preparing for the trip to St. Petersburg. The staff gradually began to involve Ivan Ukhov, who is recovering from a broken finger, in working with the team.
"As always, we had a good preparatory period for the game against one of the most difficult opponents in the tournament," said CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. "Our meetings with Zenit are one of the main rivalries in modern Russian basketball. I am sure that the game will be difficult and interesting, I hope that the fans will like it."
Past matchups
Wins-losses: 39-17 (5-0 in EuroLeague, 18-0 against Triumph Lyubertsy)
Game of the 2024-25 VTB United League season:
13-Oct-2024. CSKA – Zenit: 83-77 (+6)
Brief dossier
Zenit St.Petersburg, Russia
Founded: 2014
Colors: dark-blue, white, light-blue
Homecourt: KSK Arena (7,120)
CEO: Alexander Tserkovny
Head coach: Xavi Pascual
Website: bc-zenit.com
Trophy case: VTB United League Champion (2022), Russian Champion (2022), 5-time VTB United League bronze medalist (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024), 5-time Russian Championship bronze medalist (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024), Russian Cup Winner (2024)
