Finish line goes through Kazan

PRE-GAME BREAKDOWN

Upon returning from Cologne, the Army Team had only one day off and then returned to practices. In turn, the Kazan team had a long pause - the previous game in the semifinals of the tournament the Greens played on May 23.

The Red-and-Blues will start the series without Joel Bolomboy: ankle bothers him again. His place on the roster is taken by the CSKA-2 forward Daniil Kochergin.

The army team has two players off the roster: Janis Strelnieks, who is not on the VTB League team list, and Nikola Milutinov, who is recovering from a shoulder injury.

WORD TO THE COACH

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

We are very motivated and thrilled to play in another final. We know that the task is not easy, we play against a high-quality team that plays its second final of the season, after EuroCup. They have a lot of quality on perimeter and inside game, they are a well-coached team. We know it's going to be tough, it's a long series, but, as I said, we are focused, motivated and thrilled to go over there and play great games.

PAST MATCHUPS

Wins-losses: 78-20

CSKA biggest margin of victory: 102-54 (+48) (1997-98 Russian Championship. Quarterfinal)
UNICS biggest margin of victory: 113-77 (-36) (2000-01 Russian Superleague. Regular season. 2nd stage)

Game of VTB United League 2020-21 Regular Season:
26-Dec-2020. UNICS – CSKA: 76-83 (+7)
27-Mar-2021. CSKA – UNICS: 102-86 (+16)

SHORT DOSSIER

UNICS Kazan

Founded: 1991
Color: green, black, white
Home court: Basket Hall (7,500)
President: Evgeny Bogachev
Head coach: Dimitrios Priftis
Website: www.unics.ru
Trophy case:
- EuroCup winner (2011),
- FIBA Europe League winner (2004),
- 4-time Russian League runner-up (2001, 2002, 2004, 2007),
- 6-time Russian League bronze winner (2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011),
- NEBL champion (2003),
- 3-time Russian Cup winner (2003, 2009, 2014),
- 3-Russian Cup runner-up (2005, 2007, 2010),
- 3-time VTB United League runner-up (2010, 2012, 2016)