2021 VNL Men's Bronze Medal Match: France v Slovenia Stats Preview

Head-to-Head

• Slovenia's 3-2 win against France in the Volleyball Nations League on 10 June was their first meeting at a major world level tournament (FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Games, FIVB Volleyball World Championship, FIVB Volleyball World Cup, FIVB Volleyball World League and FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup).
• Slovenia were 2-0 behind, before they fought back to win 3-2 in that match, in which both teams scored 101 points.
• Rok Možič (20) and Klemen Čebulj (16) were Slovenia's top scorers against France.
• Thibault Rossard (14) and Earvin Ngapeth (14) were France's top scorers in that 3-2 loss against Slovenia.
• France and Slovenia met twice in qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. France won 3-0 in the Intercontinental qualifying tournament and they beat Slovenia 3-2 in the semi-finals of the European qualification tournament. They came back from two sets behind in that last win.
• France won the 2015 European Championship after a 3-0 win against Slovenia in the final.

France

• France finished runners-up in the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, losing the final 3-0 to Russia. The French were sixth in the 2019 edition.
• France could claim their seventh medal in a world major tournament: VNL (second in the 2018), World League (won 2015, 2017, second in 2006, third in 2016) and World Championship (bronze 2002).
• France's 3-0 loss to Brazil in the semi-final was their first defeat in straight sets in the 2021 VNL. They had a W11-L4 record in the league round of this year's VNL and each of their losses had come with a 3-2 scoreline, against Serbia, Slovenia, Netherlands and Italy.
• France played a total of seven five-set matches at the 2021 VNL (W3-L4), they can play as many as eight decisive sets at a single world level tournament for the first time since the 2006 World League (9, W5-L4 record).
• France can equal Brazil's record of eight five-set matches played in a single edition of the VNL, set in 2019. Brazil won five and lost three five-setters that edition.
• Jean Patry (146) has won the most points for France during the 2021 VNL. Patry also was the most prolific French player at the 2019 VNL on 190 points.
• Nicolas Le Goff has scored 25 points from blocks. His teammate Barthélémy Chinenyeze is on 22 stuffed blocks. In 2018 and 2019 the most block points a French player had was 20 - by Stephen Boyer in 2018 and by Chinenyeze in 2019.

Slovenia

• Slovenia made the final round on their first appearance at the VNL, after a final record of W12-L3 in the preliminary round.
• Slovenia can claim their first medal in a major world level tournament. They took two silver medals at the European Championship (2019 and 2015) and they won the European League in 2015.
• Slovenia's 12 wins is a Slovenian record for number of wins in a single major world level tournament. Their previous record was 10 wins in the 2017 World League.
• Klemen Čebulj has scored 225 for Slovenia in the 2021 VNL, second-most behind Netherlands' Nimir Abdel-Aziz (264).
• Čebulj also leads his team in receptions on 115 excellents.
• Čebulj has been part of Slovenia's squad in all four of their major world level participations: 2016 and 2017 World League, 2018 World Championship and 2021 VNL.