Defender CSKA Ivan Ukhov on the eve of the start of the series for 3rd place in the VTB United League with “Zenith” told that without Alexei Shved which was the victim of an attack on Monday, an additional burden will weigh on the players of the team.
On May 1, CSKA lost to Lokomotiv-Kuban (100:103) in Game 7 of the VTB United League semi-final playoff series and ended the title fight. In the evening of the same day, unknown persons attacked Shved near one of the restaurants in Moscow, the player suffered head injuries with fractures of the bones of the skull and a contusion of the brain. CSKA announced that the basketball player is unavailable for an indefinite period and will not be able to participate in the next matches.
The series for third place in the United League between CSKA and Zenit will begin in Moscow on May 5.
– It’s clear that CSKA wanted more than games for third place. And yet, how are you plugging into the next series with Zenit?
We approach it with a fighting spirit. Of course, I didn’t want to play for third place, but what is is what it is. We will fight, we will fight. Zenit is not an easy team. Moreover, it is a confrontation between the two capitals. There are some interesting matches for the fans. It is clear that they will be difficult. We prepare very seriously for the opponent, we try to analyze his forces in order to force him to do the movements he is not used to, to force him to play our basketball.
– During the preparation of this series, the final of last year with Zenit arises in your memory? In a historical context, does the coming confrontation matter to you?
– Of course, I would like to return the favor for the loss last year. I think now all the guys understand that this is an important show. Even if it is not for the first place, it is also very important. So, again, we take these games seriously. We will fight.
– Will the absence of Alexey Shved bring additional workload and difficulties to the team?
— Of course, Lyokha is our leader, so of course somewhere you will have to reorganize during the game. Of course, in some ways, we will all have more workload, because Lyokha plays a lot of time with the ball , and now we have to compensate for that. We’ve been in a situation before where Shved was injured for two months. We also played some good basketball. Therefore, we will try to compensate for this with the desire and dedication of each player,” Ukhov told .
Watch live broadcasts of VTB United League matches on and other holding channels, as well as on sportbox.ru and matchtv.ru websites. Watch the meeting between CSKA and Zenit on May 5 from 7:25 p.m. (Moscow time) on the channel.
Source : MatchTV
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