Samara — CSKA, 05 February 2025

The second stage of restructuring

The second consecutive visit of CSKA to Samara is taking place during the period of serious personnel changes in the opponent's lineup. In December, when the team from the banks of the Volga was hit by financial problems, all foreigners left it - at that time, Hayden Dalton was still on the roster, but he soon moved to Uralmash. The pre-Christmas meeting with CSKA turned out to be the last for head coach Drazen Anzulovic - it was already known about his upcoming departure and the appointment of assistant Vladislav Konovalov. Alexander Gudumak went to Krasnodar after that.

Now, exactly one day before the next game, another batch of news has arrived. Two CSKA alumni - Anton Kardanakhishvili and Ivan Pyn’ko - have moved from Samara to Uralmash. Both were key figures in the current rotation.

Who is left? The coaching staff has a key pair of point guard and center at its disposal. Therefore, it is obvious that the main load will fall on this pair - Mikhail Kulagin (16.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 39.4% three-pointers) and Ilya Popov (11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds).

Fans - especially those from Samara - will be interested in keeping an eye on local players who will be forced to get significant playing time. For example, 17-year-old Egor Amosov, who has 19 games and 14 starts under his belt this season.

Focus on yourself

The defeat from Zenit left the red-blues without a day off. On Monday and Tuesday, the team watched video analysis and trained in Krylatskoye in full force. On the eve of the game, the team went to Sheremetyevo after training and flew to Samara on an Aeroflot flight.

"In the upcoming game, we will have to focus on our own game," said CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. "We need to make changes to our game and attitude. So, our team's actions will be our main priority."

Past matchups

Wins-losses in VTB League: 6-0

2024-25 VTB League regular season game:

01-Dec-2024. CSKA – Samara: 97-77 (+20)
18-Dec-2024. Samara – CSKA: 63-93 (+30)

Brief dossier

BC Samara

Founded: 1976
Colors: blue, white
Homecourt: Vladimir Vysotsky Palace of Sports (5,000)
President: Kamo Pogosian
Head coach: Vladislav Konovalov
Website: bcsamara.com
Trophy case: Russian League bronze winners (1996, 97), Superleague 1 champions (2019, 21), Russian Cup winners (2020, 22)