Lokomotiv-Kuban vs Nizhny Novgorod. The best couple of the quarter-final continues to squabble

On April 5, in Krasnodar, the local Lokomotiv Kuban will host Nizhny Novgorod in the third match at the quarterfinal stage of the VTB United League 2022/23. The game will take place under the arches of the Basket Hall arena. The score in the series is 2:0 in favor of the "railroad".

• Expert Predictions Analysis
• History of the confrontation
• Odds
• Game Totals Prediction

Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Lokomotiv-Kuban vs Nizhny Novgorod

Lokomotiv-Kuban

The team took two away games. Perfect. The opponent is deprived of his advantage in the form of the start of the series on his parquet, and even put on the verge of relegation from the tournament. Now Loko is left to overcome psychologically broken Nizhny Novgorod in Krasnodar. The task looks quite doable.

Of course, NN is still in business. It's too early to write him off, but we must also give credit to the guys from Lokomotiv, who show basketball of the highest level. After a long break in the last match of the series, the duo of legionnaires from Akun-Purcell and Burford delivered 32 points to the Volga players, in total for that meeting these guys scored a total of 41 points. They are having a game. It is necessary to load the guys as much as possible in the upcoming fight. It is impossible not to use what gives the result.

Nizhny Novgorod

Until recently, the situation looked positive. The team started the series with two home matches, but the opponent took both of them. Now Nizhny Novgorod residents go to Krasnodar without the right to make a mistake. This is a serious pressure on them.

Who can be singled out from the last meeting? It is difficult to look for bright personalities among the losers, but it can be done. Baburin scored 18 points in that battle, Salash shipped 16 points to the opponent and made six rebounds.

The Volzhans lost because they didn't hold back Loko's leaders in the second half. It turns out that the defense failed. We need to urgently work on this moment. It is possible that the next battle should be held from a tight defense, although the coaching staff knows better. By the way, with this moment, NN is in full order, if we talk about the whole season. In terms of defense, the club is third in the current VTB United League, and the aforementioned Baburin was recently recognized as the best defending player of the tournament.

History of the confrontation

The first match of the series "railroad" was taken on the road with a score of 93:81. In the second game it was 77:72 again in favor of Krasnodar in Nizhny Novgorod. Prior to this, the teams have crossed paths four times during the regular season of the VTB United League 2022/23 and its Winners' Stage. In these battles Nizhny Novgorod were stronger (93:79 and 75:70 at home, plus 73:63 and 82:80 away).

Odds from download 1xbet

The most interesting pairing of the first round of the play-offs. This was expected, as the teams finished fourth and fifth in the main tournament and, consequently, their strengths in both the short and long haul are quite comparable. Although Loko have shot powerfully in this series, and they are now the clear favourites for bookmakers in the coming battle. For Victory 1 they are willing to give only 1.32. Victory 2 is priced at 3.4. The odds on total less than (156.5) is 1.9. If you bet on exceeding this performance bar, you can increase your money by 1.9 times. Handicap 1(-5.5) is worth 1.67. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Game Totals Prediction

The Krasnodar side have become the real "dark horse" of the season. They were sluggish at the start, but now they are powerful. At home, the team will manage to win with the great support of their fans, completing the series as quickly as possible and stepping into the semi-finals, but it will be a very difficult win, not a smashing is out of the question - handicap 1(-5.5), in which we expect a lot of struggle and, accordingly, a relatively small score - total less (156.5).