More aggressive and tougher

PRE-GAME BREAKDOWN

The Red-Blues left Moscow on an Aeroflot charter flight at noon on Tuesday, as usual, spending almost the whole day on the move. Today the team conducted a video analysis of the previous game and practiced in the Basket Hall in the evening.

Only the injured Nikola Milutinov remained at the club facilities. All other basketball players went to the trip, including Semen Antonov, who will support his teammates from the spectator seats..

WORD TO THE COACH

Emil Rajkovic, CSKA head coach:

We expect that Loko will play the way they played before, aggressive and good basketball. We are really motivated and ready to play two games here. In certain elements of the game we have to be more aggressive and tough, especially on defense to control the boards and attack more aggressively against their pressure defense. This is all about the adjustments to the games that we played in Moscow and I think our team will do it sufficiently.

PAST MATCHUPS

Wins/losses: 67-13,
In Moscow: 37-4, in Rostov: 9-1, in Krasnodar: 20-7, 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)
10-Feb-2023. Lokomotiv Kuban – CSKA: 66-98 (+32)
26-Mar-2023. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 94-74 (+20)
15-Apr-2023. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 87-84 (+3)
17-Apr-2023. CSKA – Lokomotiv Kuban: 83-84 (-1)

SHORT DOSSIER

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, Russia
Founded: 1946
Colors: red, green, white
Home court: Basket Hall (7,500)
President: Andrey Vedishchev
Interim head coach: Aleksandar 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)