Game Of The Week. Clash Of Titans

CSKA Moscow hosts Khimki Moscow Region in Week Four's biggest showdown.

Who:
CSKA, 2014-15 VTB United League champions
vs.
Khimki, 2014-15 VTB United League runners-up, 2014-15 Eurocup champions

Where:
USH CSKA (capacity 5,500), Moscow, Russia

When:
7:00 PM (7:00 PM MSK), October 19, 2015

TV:
NTV+, Rossiya 2, VTB-League.com

Face to Face
CSKA holds a 67-16 edge in the all-time series with Khimki, but recent encounters in the VTB United League have been very competitive. The Army Men won the first meeting last season, 78-60, while Khimki came out on top in the second game, knocking off CSKA in an overtime thriller, 107-104.

Several months later, the two clubs met in the playoff finals with the league title on the line. Ravaged by frontcourt injuries, Khimki failed to put up much of a fight, losing three straight to CSKA to concede the championship.

Looking Back

Intrigue
Entering the 2015-16 season, Khimki has been the talk of the VTB United League. Known for unselfish, team-oriented basketball, Khimki went out and signed several European stars this summer to add depth and exceptional talent to an already loaded roster.

CSKA's biggest move during the offseason was inking center Joel Freeland. At the same time, the Army Men parted ways with Alexander Kaun and Sonny Weems, who both moved to the NBA.

Now that it has assembled its most talented roster ever, at least on paper, Khimki is determined to knock CKSA from its VTB United League throne. It can start by winning at CSKA on Monday evening and dealing Dimitris Itoudis's club its first loss of the season.

Alexey Shved is one of the people expected to help Khimki make a championship run. The guard already has experience at Khimki and Dynamo, but that pales in comparison to the seven years he spent with CSKA. During Moscow Region's opening game against Avtodor, Shved didn't play his best, while the next two games against Bisons and Vita were blowouts and made it difficult to gauge Shved's level of preparation. That shouldn't be an issue on Monday night as Shved will be highly motivated to impress against his former team.

Both teams are undefeated and rank as Russian basketball's two most successful clubs in the 21st century. CSKA and Khimki are also off to excellent Euroleague starts, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Madrid, respectively. Dimitris Itoudis's men are looking for their first real challenge of the season, while Khimki hopes to establish itself as the team to watch in Russia.

Question
Who will win the frontcourt battle?

Alexander Kaun helped CSKA dominate the paint for years before joining the NBA this summer. His replacement, Joel Freeland, is out with an injury, leaving a hole in the paint for the Army Men. Another new signing, Vyacheslav Kravtsov, is still adjusting to the team.
During the 2014 finals, Khimki had to play without Ruslan Pateev and Tyler Honeycutt, while Paul Davis and James Augustine were both at 50%. Now Khimki is healthy and boasts another rising star in Marko Todorovic. CSKA can still rely on Kyle Hines and Andrei Vorontsevich, but the Army Men's options are certainly limited. How will that affect Monday's game?

Duel
Dimitris Itoudis (CSKA) vs. Rimas Kurtinaitis (Khimki).

We've already talked about how important this game is to Alexey Shved, who will have to battle CSKA guard Nando de Colo on the court. We mentioned Khimki's improved frontcourt. The matchup between star sixth men, Milos Teodosic and Petteri Koponen, will also be fascinating to observe. Needless to say, both teams have plenty of options, which is what makes the coaching duel that much more interesting. We know that the players will be motivated, but how well will each coach prepare his team and make in-game adjustments? With everything else even, the men on the sidelines could have an outsized impact.

Quotes
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
- We expect a very tough game. Khimki has been our primary opponent in Russia for many years and Monday's game will be part of this historic rivalry. I want to invite all of the fans to come out on Monday and support our team.

Khimki head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis:
- The game against Real demonstrated that we're fine when it comes to focus and concentration. The confidence we had in ourselves was also important psychologically. It's always difficult to beat CSKA, especially on the road.  The Army Men's roster may not be as strong as in the past 5-7 years, but we can all see how well they are playing. CSKA remains a winning club with good players.

Prediction
- This is one of the most interesting early-season games, - says former Khimki and CSKA center Alexey Savrasenko. - It's going to be a genuine battle. Both sides have leaders who aren't used to losing. Khimki's frontcourt right now is stronger than CSKA's, but I'd also like to point out that the Army Men's guards appear to be better. I really want to see how Alexey Shved will play. He had a lot of terrific games for CSKA in the past. Right now, the Army Men are better prepared and playing more unselfish basketball. I'm going to bet on them, but it's difficult to predict the outcome.