Playoff semifinals of the Unified League: what are UNICS's chances against St. Petersburg's Zenit

      In the playoff semifinals, UNICS will face Zenit

      In the confrontation with Zenit, UNICS has a significant advantage

      Today, UNICS will meet Zenit in the first match of the playoff semifinals of the Unified League. The Kazan team finished the regular season as the silver medalists, while their opponent in the series, Zenit, became the bronze medalist. The second round in this confrontation will last until four victories. The first two matches will start in Kazan. The Tatars play successfully at home. This season, they have recorded 20 wins against two losses in the Basket Hall. The Kazan team holds second place in this statistic in the league after the regular season leader, CSKA. The latter did not lose a single match at home in Moscow. Zenit won 16 out of 22 matches on the road. So, undoubtedly, for UNICS, starting the opening games in Kazan is a significant advantage.

      This season, the upcoming match will be the seventh head-to-head confrontation between UNICS and Zenit, which has resulted in a competitive tie. In the first three meetings, the Kazan team won (104:77, 91:72, 88:75). After that, the St. Petersburg team inflicted three defeats on their opponents: in the regular season (82:75), in the final round of the group stage of the Basket Cup (85:77), and at home (86:69). In total, in the history of the rivalry, there have been 50 matches, with UNICS having the edge (26-24).

      Is UNICS the favorite in the playoff semifinals against the St. Petersburg team?

      In the opening round of the playoffs, best of three, Velimir Perasovic's team confidently defeated MBA-MAI 87:62, 83:63, 74:63. As a result of this series, two UNICS players, Jalen Reynolds and Mikhail Belenitsky, made it to the tournament's symbolic five. By the way, for Jalen Reynolds, as well as for UNICS captain Dmitry Kulagin, the confrontation with Zenit may be significant. In the past, both defended the colors of the St. Petersburg club: Kulagin twice – in the 2014/15 season and from 2021 to 2023, Reynolds - in the 2018/19 season. Additionally, the latter became the best rebounder in the Unified League and Eurocup and was once awarded the MVP title of the regular championship in a season.

      Zenit lost to Uralmash at home (78:85) in the first match of the opening round. They then took revenge, winning the next three matches (92:64, 82:65, 78:61). The main hero for the St. Petersburg team in the confrontation with Uralmash was forward Andre Roberson, who scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, made 6 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in the last two games, and was included in the symbolic team of the Unified League.

      The significance of the match UNICS - Zenit

      This confrontation will also be significant for several players from both teams. UNICS guard Ivan Belousov is a product of the St. Petersburg club. He also played for the club from the Northern capital, representing the junior and youth teams.

      The newcomer of the Kazan team and shooting guard Denis Zakharov previously defended the colors of the "blue-white-blue" for five seasons from 2020 to 2025. Guard Alexey Shved, who also joined the Kazan team this season, played for Zenit in the previous 2024/25 season.

      In Zenit, there may be a special motivation against the Kazan team for power forward Andrey Vorontsevich, who won gold (2023), silver (2024), and bronze (2022) medals as part of the Kazan team. St. Petersburg guard Georgy Zhbanov also spent three seasons in Kazan (2020-2023). And Zenit's newcomer, who joined the team in the last offseason, forward Dmitry Uzinsky, played for the Tatars for two seasons (2019-2022).

      Center Ismael Bako, who transferred from UNICS this year, defended the colors of the Kazan team from 2023 to 2025. Together with the Tatar team, he won silver and bronze medals and also became a finalist in the Super Cup.

      Perasovic: "We will try to show better quality basketball than in previous games against the St. Petersburg team"

      On the eve of the match, UNICS head coach Velimir Perasovic expressed some doubts about the upcoming opponent – Zenit. He stated that in the last matches, the St. Petersburg team defeated his team three times. At the same time, the Croatian specialist believes that his players are better prepared for the playoffs than their opponent.

      "We have been aiming for the playoffs all season, fighting for it. But the last three matches against Zenit left an unpleasant aftertaste, as they easily defeated us. We hope that now we are much better prepared. We will try to show better quality basketball than in previous games against the St. Petersburg team. I am sure we are in for an interesting series," Perasovic was quoted by the UNICS press service.

      At the same time, Perasovic is indeed right. His team not only looks stronger in terms of tournament performance and scoring but also has a more balanced roster overall. The main striking force of the Kazan team is Marcus Bingham and Jalen Reynolds.

      Zenit General Director: "UNICS is undoubtedly the favorite"

      Moreover, the Tatar team has the best front line in the league, which creates serious problems for the opponent. This is also the opinion of Zenit General Director Alexander Tserkovoy. It should be noted that one of Zenit's key players, Bako, is injured, which also does not play in favor of the St. Petersburg team.

      "UNICS is undoubtedly the favorite in the series; this team has an excellent roster, an elite coach who has already led the team to a title, and the advantage of their home court. But the ball is round. UNICS has the best front line, which is a problem for us, especially since Bako cannot help for now," Tserkovoy told Sport-Express.

      Before the season, the St. Petersburg team changed head coaches. Alexander Sekulic replaced Javier Pascual. The main merit of the Slovenian coach is that he has shown a decent result with the St. Petersburg team. After all, Zenit is already a semifinalist in the playoffs today.

      The series between UNICS and Zenit will start in Kazan at the Basket Hall. The first games of the playoff semifinals between the opponents will take place on May 11 and 13. The series will then move to St. Petersburg. In the semifinals, teams play until four victories.

      Photo: unics.ru