CSKA — Samara, 13 January 2026

Not a zero

The Volga team remains in last place in the tournament, but now has an away win over Pari NN under its belt, and overall, they've started to look more confident and competitive – even in losses, they've shown a serious fighting spirit. Interestingly, Vladislav Konovalov's team managed to win without three of their top scorers.

Dmitriy Cheburkin (14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds) and former CSKA player Mikhail Kulagin (12.0 points, 3.6 assists) will be absent due to injury this time around. This will add additional pressure to another former player of our team, now the VTB League's leading scorer, Nikita Mikhailovskiy (20.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists).

Close to optimal

The Army Men returned from Belgrade late Saturday evening, and held training sessions in Krylatskoye on Sunday and Monday. Vladimir Karpenko, who had been recovering from a leg injury, has fully rejoined the team, while Antonius Cleveland, who had been absent for the past two weeks due to family reasons, is currently working individually, as he is still struggling with the ankle injury he sustained in the Christmas Day game in Krasnodar.

"Our opponents have earned their first win, are feeling confident, and are fighting in every game," noted CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. "We need to continue to play seriously and work on our game."

Past matchups

Wins-losses in VTB League: 10-0

2025-26 VTB League regular season games:

30-Sep-2025. Samara – CSKA: 63-82 (+19)
12-Dec-2025. CSKA - Samara: 113-60 (+53)

Brief dossier

BC Samara

Founded: 1976
Colors: blue, white
Homecourt: Vladimir Vysotsky Palace of Sports (5,000)
CEO: Igor Bochkarev
Head coach: Vladislav Konovalov
Website: bcsamara.com
Trophy case: Russian League bronze winners (1996, 97), Superleague 1 champions (2019, 21), Russian Cup winners (2020, 22)