The 2024 Volleyball Nations League for men’s is about to start, and avid volleyball fans are going to be treated to some fun matches in the first week, which will be held in Antalya, Turkey, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Just like in the women’s division, valuable spots in the Paris Olympics are up for grabs. Defending champions Poland, the USA, France, Japan, and Canada are among those that have already qualified for the quadrennial event, so there’s only a few vacancies left, meaning that every result counts.
Right now, the SBOTOP Volleyball Nations League 2024 odds have Argentina, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Turkey as some of the countries that are still in contention, so their upcoming Volleyball Nations League 2024 results in the first week will be watched with great interest.
Poland and USA engage in finals rematch
Poland will open their title defence against the USA. These two adversaries met in last year’s finals, in which the Poles won 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18) for their maiden Volleyball Nations League crown.
Lukasz Kaczmarek, who replaced the injured team captain Bartosz Kurek, led the way for the Poles with 25 points (23 kills, one block, one ace), while Aleksander Sliwka added 14 points (13 kills, one block).
Torey Defalco, Aaron Russell, and Matthew Anderson were the top performers for the Stars and Stripes with 14, 11, and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort.
Nikola Grbic’s side is on top of the updated FIVB World Rankings with 421.14 points, but Andy Read’s men are right behind them in second place with 390.91 points.
If the USA beat Poland in straight sets on Wednesday, the gap between these two teams will shrink to just under seven points. However, if it is the other way around, the Poles’ table lead will grow to 46.89 points.
With Lukasz Kaczmarek absent, Aleksander Sliwka will captain the squad for Poland, and he will come into this tournament in high spirits after officially getting married a few days ago.
On the other hand, the USA will still have the same core of Torey Defalco, Aaron Russell, and Matthew Anderson, while opposite Gabriel Garcia Fernandez will make his competitive debut for the national team in Antalya, Turkey.
Other notable players for the Stars and Stripes include key veterans Josh Tuaniga, Kyle Dagostino, Mason Briggs, Jake Hanes, Cody Kessel, and Patrick Gasman.
Turkey hoping for a successful debut
Turkey will be making their highly anticipated Volleyball Nations League debut against Canada on Tuesday.
This is big for them because if they beat the Maple Leafs, Turkey will earn enough FIVB World Ranking points to leapfrog the Netherlands and Canada to move closer to the Paris Olympics cut-off. On the other hand, if Turkey lose to Canada, then they will drop to 15th place below Iran.
Cedric Enard faces the unenviable task of outdoing his predecessor. Before Enard’s appointment, Turkey achieved notable success under Alberto Giuliani, which included victories in the CEV Golden League, the FIVB Challenger Cup, and qualifying for the 2024 and 2025 Volleyball Nations League tournaments.
Captaining the Turks is setter Arslan Eksi, who is one of the most decorated players in the country. The 38-year-old has already played 80 games for the Turkish national team, and he will look to make his final few tournaments count (since he is not getting any younger), starting on Tuesday.
Other notable players for Turkey include Burutay Subasi, Faik Samet Gunes, Mert Matic, Vahit Emre Savas, and Adis Lagumdzija.
Argentina-Japan will be a cracker
Elsewhere in Rio de Janeiro, the opening match between Argentina and Japan is a huge one, particularly for the former because they have yet to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The Argentineans would be closer to their target if they defeated the Japanese, as it would earn them 11.44 points.
Argentina, who will look to qualify as soon as possible, should bring their big guns to Rio de Janeiro, including star setter Luciano De Cecco, outside hitter Facundo Conte, opposite Bruno Lima, and middle blocker Agustin Loser.
In last year’s tournament, Agustin Loser was the best blocker in the preliminary round, while Luciano De Cecco was the third-best setter at the same juncture.
But Japan have firepower too, as they have the likes of Yuki Ishikawa and Kento Miyaura, who were their two best players in last year’s tournament.
Ishikawa was the best scorer and attacker in the final round last year, while Miyaura was the second-best server in the same juncture last year.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE SPORTS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
