The fact that Lokomotiv head coach Alexander Sekulić would not be able to attend the match in Moscow became known on the eve of the departure. The specialist stayed in Krasnodar to treat his cold.
On the other hand, Maurice Ndour received the official status of Loko’ player. The Senegalese forward started training in Krasnodar, and in Moscow he already had full training course with the team, preparing for the upcoming match with Runa. We will find out whether he will be included in the lineup tomorrow, before the game.
Disposition
PBC Runa is a debutant in the VTB United League. Ertugrul Erdogan’s team plays quite interesting and audacious basketball. Though they failed to qualify to the playoffs after the first round, their chance to get into play-in (for those who will finish 7th to 10th) is pretty realistic. Runa holds ninth place at the moment.
Loko has secured its place in the playoffs three games ago. After the first stage, there is even a chance to catch up with UNICS – to do this, Runa must be defeated and the Kazan team should lose to CSKA on Sunday.
Runa's leaders
Runa is a well-coached team. Despite the presence of bright performers in the lineup, everybody acts organized and move the ball well. It is no coincidence that the Muscovites are among the top three in the League in terms of the number of assists. And Jeremiah Hill and Nikola Ivanović (5.0 and 4.4 assists per game, respectively) are among the top ten players in the League in this component.
Ertugrul Erdogan has four players on the roster who score ten or more points per game – Cameron Young, Juwan Morgan, as well as the aforementioned Hill and Ivanović. Centers Alex Tyus and Ilya Popov are also effective scorers, and they also add great power and aggression in the low-post.
Where to watch
The game will be broadcasted live at “Krasnodar”, “Match! Igra” and “Start” TV channels, as well as at Lokobasket.com. The start is scheduled at 5:00 PM MSK.