Zenit — CSKA, 20 January 2020

Our team went to St.Petersburg for the second time this season.

Pre-game breakdown

After two EuroLeague games in a row the team got a day off with optional practice. Though Saturday was also a game day, as Mikhail Kulagin, Andrey Lopatin and Alexander Khomenko played for CSKA-2.

Injured Will Clyburn and Janis Strelnieks as well as Ron Baker who is not on the team’s VTB League roster stayed in Moscow. Andrey Lopatin and Alexander Khomenko remain in disposal of CSKA-2.

Word to coach

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

We consider this week as a triple week, because Zenit is a EuroLeague team, Zenit has certain qualities and rebounds is one of those, important qualities. They fight and they are good on boards, not only bigs, but guards as well. In general, we have big respect to Zenit, the way they play basketball, the way they fight. It is going to be another battle, as in all previous years.

Close “relations”

Zenit guard and team captain Evgeny Voronov played for CSKA Moscow from 2011 to 2014 and finished his rookie season as a EuroLeague runner-up at the 2012 Final Four. He played alongside current CSKA stars Andrey Vorontsevich, Nikita Kurbanov and Kyle Hines.

Anton Ponkrashov had three stints with CSKA, in 2006-07 season, in 2009-10 and from 2011 to 2013. He helped CSKA reach Final Fours in 2007, 2012 and 2013. During his time there he was a teammate of Andrey Vorontsevich and Nikita Kurbanov.

Past matchups

Wins-losses: 12-4 (18-0 against Triumph Lyubertsy)

Games of the 2019-20 season:
07-Oct-2019. VTB League. Regular season. CSKA – Zenit: 79-82 (-3)
01-Nov-2019. EuroLeague. Regular season. Zenit – CSKA: 70-87 (+17)

Short dossier
Founded: 2014
Colors: dark-blue, white, light-blue
Homecourt: SIBUR Arena (7,120)
CEO: Alexander Tserkovny
Head coach: Joan Plaza
Website: basket.fc-zenit.ru