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The Preliminary Round of the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League enters its final stretch this week and with several teams still looking for a spot in the semifinals, the 24 matches scheduled to take place between Tuesday and Thursday carry a lot of weight.

Brazil are at the top of the standings with 24 points but six other teams – Poland (21), France (21), Slovenia (19), Serbia (19), Iran (17) and Russia (17) – are all within four points of each other and could end the week anywhere in the table.

Be sure to watch all the action on Volleyball TV.

Here are three matches you should definitely keep an eye on:

Who? Brazil vs. Slovenia

When? Tuesday, June 15, 17:30 GMT

Why? A match between a team that’s been at the top of the FIVB world ranking for several years and another which is making its VNL debut has every reason to be one-sided, but that will not be the case when Brazil meet Slovenia. The South Americans have been their usual selves as they currently top the standings thanks to their great depth, but the Europeans are not far behind in fourth place and have already defeated some of the volleyball giants including Italy, Poland, France and Russia. If they can do it one more time against the reigning Olympic champions, they will get closer to the semifinals.

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Who? Japan vs. Poland

When? Wednesday, June 16, 19:00 GMT

Why? Japan and Poland are separated by eight points in the standings, but only two wins, which indicates that the distance between the teams is not that big. The Asians are coming from a solid Week 3 in which they beat Australia and Italy and lost to Argentina, but most importantly showed some great volleyball in moments. They just need to do that more consistently. Excepting their losses to Slovenia and Brazil, Poland have had a solid run in Rimini. Dealing with Wilfredo Leon’s absurd serves (he ranks second in the VNL with 22 aces) will be key for Japan, but the Asians seem equipped to do that with two of the six VNL’s best passers in libero Tomohiro Yamamoto (fourth, with 66 receptions) and outside hitter Yuki Ishikawa (sixth, with 64).

Yuki Ishikawa

Yuki Ishikawa

Who? Iran vs. Slovenia

When? Thursday, June 17, 14:00 GMT

Why? With just two points separating the Slovenians from the Iranians, this could be a direct duel for a spot in the semifinals. These are two teams that are clearly exceeding expectations in the VNL and it’s always fun to watch squads in this situation as their confidence and positive energy are infectious. This match will also reunite two of the most prolific offensive players of the tournament, Iranian opposite Saber Kazemi, the VNL’s third-best scorer with 122 points (104 kills, seven blocks and 11 aces) and Slovenian outside hitter Klemen Cebulj, who has scored 121 (98 kills, 12 blocks and 11 aces).