We’ve seen a thriller already

Remembering the last meeting

The Army Men trained only once in preparation. The team returned from Yekaterinburg on Friday afternoon and rested for less than a day before returning to work. The red-blues are missing the recovering Livio Jean-Charles and Ivan Zaitsev, who is close to returning from injury.

"We remember our last meeting," said CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. "It was difficult and showed what our opponents are capable of. Besides, MBA-MAI is hosting us again. We need to play differently than last time to secure the victory."

Extensive rotation

The teams have played two very different games this season. While the red-blues left no stone unturned against their visitors at Megasport, they squandered an 18-point lead at Basket Hall and nearly lost, only to be saved in overtime. Therefore, the hosts are surely hoping to give their fans another thriller.

The Muscovites' leader in scoring and rebounding remains experienced b (14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds), followed by young rookie Pavel Savkov (10.6 points, 39% three-point shooting). Meanwhile, head coach Vasily Karasev is actively utilizing his reserves: a dozen MBA-MAI players are receiving double-digit minutes.

Past matchups

Win/loss ratio: 12-0

Game of the 2025-26 season:

21-Dec-2025. CSKA – MBA-MAI: 97-58 (+39)
18-Feb-2026. MBA-MAI – CSKA: 106-109 OT (+3)

Brief dossier

MBA-MAI Moscow

Founded: 2011
Colors: white, red
Home arena: Basket Hall Moscow (5,000 spectators)
President: Tatyana Kocharyan
Head coach: Vasily Karasev
Website: mbabasket.pro
Trophy case: 2026 Russian Cup winner, 2014 Russian Major League runners-up, bronze medalist of the Russian Cup (2023, 2025)