The trip with a lunch break
The VTB League semifinal continues in Krasnodar. Our team spent the whole day to get to the city on Kuban...
PRE-GAME BREAKDOWN
The Red-Blues left from Krylatskoe at 10 am and got to the final point at 10 pm. The easiest way to travel was to fly to Stavropol (most of the airports, including Krasnodar, are closed in the south of Russia), have a lunch there and then take a 5-hour bus ride. On the Victory Day, the team practiced at the Basket Hall.
With injured Vladimir Ivlev out Dimitris Itoudis has just 12 players available on the main team. CSKA-2 center Kirill Popov also travelled to Krasnodar just in case.
WORD TO THE COACH
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
We came one day earlier so that the players can rest. For the first time in a very long period we had a bus drive for almost 6 hours. But we are in a good mode, players are focused, we have time for rest, therapies and meetings.
PAST MATCHUPS
Wins/losses: 61-11,
In Moscow: 35-3, in Rostov: 9-1, in Krasnodar: 16-6, on neutral arena (Berlin): 1-0.
Games of the 2021-22 VTB United League season:
05-Dec-2021. Lokomotiv Kuban – CSKA: 69-88 (+19)
18-Feb-2022. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 91-71 (+20)
05-May-2022. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 93-90 (+3)
07-May-2022. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 86-72 (+14)
SHORT DOSSIER
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, Russia
Founded: 1946
Colors: red, green, white
Home court: Basket Hall (7,500)
President: Andrey Vedishchev
Interim head coach: Branko Maksimovic
Website: www.lokobasket.com
Trophy case: Euroleague bronze winner (2016), EuroCup winner (2013), VTB United League runner-up (2013), BEKO PBL bronze winner (2011/12), Eurochallenge runner-up (2011), FIBA Europe Cup runner-up (2005), Russian Cup winner (2018)
