Three key matches in VNL Week 5

It’s crunch time in the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League as the Preliminary Round comes to an end between Monday and Wednesday with three matches remaining for each of the 16 teams in the competition in Rimini, Italy.

Reigning Olympic champions Brazil (11 wins, 32 points) and reigning world champions Poland (ten wins, 30 points) are almost there, but Slovenia (nine wins) and Russia (eight) will be conscious of several teams on their heels, including France (eight), Serbia (eight), USA (six), Argentina (six), Italy (six), Japan (six) and Iran (five).

With several matches involving two of those teams, the list of aspiring semifinalists will get narrower every day until Wednesday, when the four national teams that will advance to the medal rounds will finally be known.

Sign up to Volleyball TV so you can watch every single of these matches and here are three of them that are certainly worth your attention:

Who? France vs. Iran

When? Monday, June 21, 11:00 GMT

Why? France are currently outside the top four, but a victory against Iran could change that. For the Iranians, a victory in this match is essential. Both teams will be looking for redemption - the Europeans are hungry after unexpected defeats to the Netherlands and Italy in Week 4, while the Asians lost their last three matches. An interesting duel to watch in this match will be the one between French star libero Jenia Grebennikov, the sixth-best defender of the VNL with 96 digs, and Iranian opposite Saber Kazemi, an up-and-coming star who ranks fourth in points with 159.

Who? Japan vs. Slovenia

When? Tuesday, June 22, 14:00 GMT

Why? Japan will probably need to win their three last matches in order to have a chance of advancing and the match against Slovenia is a pivotal one. The Europeans are in a good position and depend only on their efforts to move forward in their first VNL appearance. With potentially difficult matches against the United States and Bulgaria, the Slovenians could use a win here and will rely on opposite Klemen Cebulj, the VNL’s second-best scorer with 174 points, and setter Gregor Ropret, the tournament’s best player in his position with 316 successful actions.

Who? France vs. Poland

When? Wednesday, June 23, 13:00 GMT

Why? This was probably already one of the most anticipated matches in the entire tournament before it started and the way things turned out, it will be even more remarkable due to its decisive context. French and Polish have been experimenting with different lineups during most of the Preliminary Round and got significant production from several players. But with the semifinals quickly approaching and a spot on the line especially for the French, expect both teams to go with their top teams for this one and it doesn’t get much better in international volleyball than a duel between France’s Earvin Ngapeth and Poland’s Wilfredo Leon.