Zenith (-13.5) - Minsk Zenit achieved the victory of the week for the 1st match of the Euroleague against Efes in Istanbul, taking full advantage of the absence of the Turkish superstar Larkin. Xavi Pascual's team has strengthened a lot this year with Pangos, Baron, Rivers, Poithers and Goodides being the main additions, high value players who have starred in the Euroleague in recent years. With the main focus on Pangos who scores but creates for his teammates just as well and the amazing scorer Baron in an executive role, the Spanish coach aspires to present a team that will enter the history of the Russians for the first time in the Euroleague playoffs.
At VTB, the goal is the final, as CSKA has been out of competition for several years and is the undisputed favorite for the trophy, with three wins in as many games, with a victory in the home of Kimki, to show that the Zenit is on the right track. VTB's regulation of 6 foreigners, where a foreigner is considered whoever is not Russian, limits the coaches who are called to leave out of the mission some of the big names of their team, with Pascual in the 3 games that have been played so far to have is forced to leave two of the foreign players out of the match while who will choose not to play today remains unknown.
Minsk from Belarus started the season impressively, achieving their initial goal which was to enter the groups of the basketball champions league, excluding the Balkans from Bulgaria and Neptunas from Lithuania, respectively, while they also got a double at the headquarters of Enisei. first race of VTB. Of course, Enisei, like last year, is very weak and does not compare in any way with the other Russian teams participating in the tournament. The Belarusian Salas stands out with his appearances, which is a matter of time to make the leap for a better team, while in total there are only 4 foreigners on the roster, one of whom is Leimanis, who last year played in A2 with the jersey of Koroivos Amaliada.
As good as the start is, Minsk remains a team from Belarus that is called to face one of the top teams in the Euroleague away from home. The difference will depend on the mood of Zenit, which I think will want to maintain its high pace, especially now that we are at the beginning of the season.
