Kalev vs CSKA. Will CSKA get better for the failure in France?

For most teams, the VTB United League is becoming a field for experimentation, so any fight can turn out to be incredibly interesting. Kalev is one of the outsiders of the rally, as he settled in the basement of the standings and does not look his best. The team is unlikely to seriously count on getting into the playoffs of the competition. He uses the tournament as a platform for playing practice and rich experience with which he can dominate the Latvian-Estonian basketball league.

CSKA, on the other hand, looks flawless and knows no defeat, so it naturally sits in the first position in the standings. The club has won four matches in a row and is not going to stop there. Additionally, the “army team” is spurred on by the failure in France, as there were two nightmare fights in the Euroleague. On November 1, the rivals will meet at the Sole Sportdikeskus arena in Tallinn.

• Expert Predictions Analysis
• Kalev vs CSKA facts
• History of the confrontation
• Game Totals Prediction

Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Kalev vs CSKA

Kalev

Kalev had an extremely unsuccessful starting segment of the VTB United League and gave an unpleasant streak of three defeats in a row. First, he lost to Zenit (60:75), then lost to Saratov Avtodor (93:97), and ended a series of failures with a failed game with Yenisei at home (81:87). All this had an extremely negative impact on the emotional state of basketball players, the microclimate inside the squad was under threat.

But it was noticeable that during each match the team looked quite decent, had a chance of a positive outcome. And in a duel with Nizhny Novgorod, they finally managed to break the opponent's resistance. On the road, it turned out to win the long-awaited victory with a score of 71:65, and Melson became the best player of the meeting. He scored 18 points, made nine rebounds and two assists.

CSKA

CSKA won all four VTB United League matches at the start of the season, and literally did not feel rivals. Victories over Tsmoki-Minsk (92:44) and Zelenaya Gora (105: 71) clearly demonstrated how strong the squad is and how ready it is to play. The overall impression was complemented by the triumphal duels with Nizhny Novgorod (92:72) and PARMA (82:60). And all this despite the fact that a semi-reserve composition appeared on the site.

But on November 1, the coaching staff is unlikely to give the leaders a rest and force them to hold the entire meeting as a kind of punishment, work on mistakes. The fact is that in three days the team completely failed two Euroleague matches. First, he lost to ASVEL (68:70), and then frankly lost to Monaco (80:97). After such painful lesions, it is imperative to change something, and do it as soon as possible.

History of the confrontation

Up to this point, the teams have crossed each other 16 times within the framework of the VTB United League. The obvious advantage is on the side of CSKA - 15 wins. Only in one fight in the entire history of rivalry, Kalev was still able to defeat a formidable opponent. The last head-to-head match took place in March 2021, when the opponents met each other on the floor of the Saku Suurhol arena in Tallinn. The hosts looked decent for three quarters and had a good chance of winning. But the failure in the final segment cost them everything, the army team turned out to be stronger with a score of 94:72.

Game Totals Prediction

Kalev was definitely not lucky, since it would be almost impossible to extend the winning streak. The enraged CSKA will play on the floor, which will set itself the task of a major victory over an opponent. The coaching staff will definitely throw all the leaders into battle, for whom it is time to regain self-confidence. Therefore, the owners of the parquet will have to cope with fierce pressure and waves of attacks from the opponent's side from the very first minutes. We predict that the army team will destroy the opponent with a handicap of (-20) points. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!