Expecting it to be hot in cold Krasnodar

PRE-GAME BREAKDOWN

The trip to visit Lokomotiv-Kuban for the Red-Blues began with a meeting with UNICS. Not on the basketball court, but at the Sheremetyevo airport, from where the closest pursuers in the standings were returning home.

The team used an Aeroflot charter flight, a rarity for this season, to get to snowy Stavropol, after which they made a five-hour rush by bus to Krasnodar. On Thursday evening, Emil Rajkovic's team had a full-fledged training session at the local Basket Hall.

WORD TO THE COACH

Emil Rajkovic, CSKA head coach:

Loko is practically different team in comparison to the one that we faced in our previous meeting. They added Akoon-Purcell and White and they are playing good basketball. They’ve beaten Zenit, UNICS with big margin, they played well against Nizhny. So we need to be really focused to take the victory here.

PAST MATCHUPS

Wins/losses: 64-12,
In Moscow: 36-3, in Rostov: 9-1, in Krasnodar: 18-7, on neutral arena (Berlin): 1-0.
Games of the 2022-23 VTB United League season:

13-Oct-2022. Lokomotiv Kuban – CSKA: 64-84 (+20)
16-Dec-2022. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 80-94 (+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: Aleksandr Sekulic
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)