CSKA — MBA-MAI, 19 April 2026

Nowhere to retreat

Our neighbors, along with Uralmash, remain the only pair that has not yet decided their final position in the standings. The Muscovites and Yekaterinburg players are battling for sixth and seventh place, meaning the right to face Zenit or UNICS in the playoffs. The Urals team currently has a better chance of winning, meaning Vasily Karasev's men have no room to retreat.

Moreover, MBA-MAI is certainly buoyed by memories of their second meeting with CSKA this season, which went into overtime. They will try to take the next step at Megasport, even though the third game of the regular season ended in a crushing victory for the red-blues. The visiting team's most productive players are comprised entirely of seasoned Russian veterans, led by Andrei Zubkov (14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds). This list is bolstered by a single young player, Pavel Savkov (11.0 points, 39.9% three-point shooting).

Expecting progress

The Army Men took another day off after the previous game and returned to work at full strength on the Megasport court. On Saturday, the team held a video session and practiced.

“All our games against MBA-MAI were recent so we know each other very well," noted CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. "I think the game will be interesting. We need to show up and show improvements after our last game.”

Past matchups

Win/loss ratio: 13-0

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)
29-Mar-2026. MBA-MAI – CSKA: 65-100 (+35)

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)