Advantage leads to advantage

At a high level

As in the previous season, the end of the championship is turning out to be hot for our team. Even the games with teams from the second half of the standings are not easy - there is a serious fight for places in the playoffs and play-in. And at the top, the rivals are fighting for the highest possible positions, which will give home court advantage in the elimination series.

At the moment, CSKA is holding on to the top, but out of the remaining five games, two will have to be played against direct competitors (the second - in the last round against UNICS). The current trip to St.Petersburg will most likely predetermine the fate of first place in the regular season, and statistically, Zenit looks like the favorite in this race. They are hosting the red-blues at home, right now they have an advantage in face-to-face meetings and will not meet other rivals from the top 4 until the end of the championship. However, the Muscovites will fight to the end - both in the next and in all remaining games. The team worked in full force in the Basket Hall for two days after the victory over Parma and flew to St.Petersburg on an Aeroflot flight on Saturday afternoon immediately after another training session.

"This will be a high-level game against a high-level opponent," stated CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. “Therefore, we need to show a high level effort to win.”

Shved as a leader

Xavi Pascual's team managed to rebuild during the season against the backdrop of injuries and new acquisitions and now looks very confident, having won 15 victories in a row. An increasingly important role in the ranks of Zenit is played by former CSKA player Alexey Shved, who in 12 games has managed to become the team leader in assists (5.4) and is third in scoring (9.6).

In terms of scoring, the St.Petersburg team's main option remains Dwayne Bacon (16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds), supported by Trent Frazier (11.6 points, 4.2 assists, 38.4% three-pointers). Talking about the opponent, we can't help but mention another pair of experienced "role players". Veteran Andrei Vorontsevich is in good shape - he took part in all 39 games, and in 29 of them he was in the starting lineup, scoring 4.6 points and hitting a respectable 42.9% of three-pointers. Georgy Zhbanov is having a great season, not only helping with his stifling defense against the opponent's leaders, but also acting decently in offense. Georgy has 6.9 points per game with 65.2% of his two-pointers being made and, most importantly, two winning long-range shots in his last five games – against Lokomotiv-Kuban and Pari NN.

Past matchups

Wins-losses: 39-19 (5-0 in EuroLeague, 18-0 against Triumph Lyubertsy)

Games of the 2024-25 VTB United League season:

13-Oct-2024. CSKA – Zenit: 83-77 (+6)
07-Dec-2024. Zenit - CSKA: 82-78 (-4)
02-Feb-2025. CSKA – Zenit: 66-79 (-13)

Brief dossier

Zenit St.Petersburg, Russia

Founded: 2014
Colors: dark-blue, white, light-blue
Homecourt: KSK Arena (7,120)
CEO: Alexander Tserkovny
Head coach: Xavi Pascual
Website: bc-zenit.com
Trophy case: VTB United League Champion (2022), Russian Champion (2022), 5-time VTB United League bronze medalist (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024), 5-time Russian Championship bronze medalist (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024), Russian Cup Winner (2024)