KAZAN (Interstat) — UNICS Kazan will host Zenit Petersburg on Sunday at Basket-Hall Arena in a matchup of teams at different early-season stages. Zenit Petersburg enters with a 1-0 record, while UNICS Kazan is 2-2. The home side has already played four games and will look to use its familiar setting against a visitor that has opened with one win. UNICS Kazan will be playing its fifth game of the season, while Zenit Petersburg will play its second.

UNICS Kazan most recently defeated Dynamo Vladivostok 117-75 at home. That victory followed an 88-97 home loss to Parma Basket Perm and a 59-79 road loss at CSKA Moscow. UNICS Kazan has scored 117 points in its most recent game and has played four contests this season. The Kazan club will look to move above .500 with a home result.

Zenit Petersburg opened its season with a 92-68 home win against Uralmash. The Petersburg club has not played as many games as UNICS Kazan, but it will enter Sunday with momentum from that 24-point victory. Zenit Petersburg will try to remain unbeaten and secure a road result against a UNICS Kazan team that has split its first four contests. The game on Sunday will be Zenit Petersburg’s first road test of the season.

Dimitri Uzinskiy is a player to watch for UNICS Kazan. Earlier this season at CSKA Moscow, Uzinskiy played 18 minutes and recorded 11 points and seven rebounds in a loss. He is among the UNICS Kazan players expected to contribute in the team’s home matchup with Zenit Petersburg. Uzinskiy’s recent performance included 11 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes.

UNICS Kazan is scheduled to visit Samara in its next game after Sunday. The club will then host Uralmash and MBA Moscow in upcoming home contests. Zenit Petersburg is set to return home to face Parma Basket Perm, then host Avtodor Saratov before a stretch of road games that includes trips to Lokomotiv Kuban and Samara. Those future matchups give both clubs reason to treat the meeting on Sunday as an important early test.

Basket-Hall Arena will host the game. UNICS Kazan will aim to build on its recent offensive performance and improve to 3-2, while Zenit Petersburg will seek a 2-0 start. The contest is part of a busy opening stretch for both teams. Both clubs will continue their schedules after Sunday, with UNICS Kazan and Zenit Petersburg each facing a series of upcoming league opponents.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of UNICS Kazan 81, Zenit Petersburg 72.