From Christmas to Christmas

Necessary pause

This season's schedule allowed the coaches to give the team a solid break. During the four-day pause, some foreigners even managed to fly home, and Russians managed to celebrate the New Year outside the city. Although the majority still remained in Moscow, and some players dropped in to Krylatskoye for individual training.

Team practices resumed on January 2, and the Army Team immediately began preparing for the first away game. In general, the entire month for the red-blues, as usual, will mainly be spent on the road as Moscow arenas are busy with New Year's performances. Moreover, next week the team will face the most logistically difficult trip of the season – to Krasnodar.

Rival from top six

“First of all, I would like to congratulate all the fans on the New Year and Merry Christmas, wish them all the best, health and prosperity in 2024,” says CSKA head coach Emil Rajkovic. “We start this year in Samara, and this will be the first of a series of difficult games that await us this month. Our opponents look impressive this season, they have won three of their last four games and are looking to strengthen their position in the league playoff picture. We started preparing right after the holidays, everyone is healthy and taking the next game very seriously.”

The Volga team currently has a positive balance of wins and losses and is in sixth place - exactly allowing it to be in the top group at the second stage of the regular season and avoid the need to fight for the play-in. However, there are still many difficult games left before the end of the first stage.

There is no clear leader in Drazen Anzulovic's team - the scoring load is distributed quite evenly, with seven players averaging more than eight points per game, including ex-army players Alexander Gudumak (9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds) and Mikhail Kulagin (8.8 points). The top scorers are three foreign players - Justin Roberson (13.1 points, 4.1 assists), Javonte Hawkins (11.5 points) and James Thompson (10.9 points). At the same time, the team is one of the league leaders in making three-pointers – 37.9%.

Past matchups

Wins-losses in VTB League: 3-0

2023-24 VTB League regular season game:

08-Nov-2023. CSKA - Samara: 94-76 (+18)

Brief dossier

BC Samara

Founded: 1976
Colors: blue, white
Homecourt: Vladimir Vysotsky Palace of Sports (5,000)
President: Kamo Pogosian
Head coach: Drazen Anzulovic
Website: bcsamara.com
Trophy case: Russian League bronze winners (1996, 97), Superleague 1 champions (2019, 21), Russian Cup winners (2020, 22)