Lausanne, Switzerland, June 19, 2018 - Poland need to return to their winning ways when they face Argentina, Friday in Melbourne, if they're to make the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League Final Six. The reigning European champions enjoy a commanding lead in their head-to-head with Argentina, having won 26 of their 31 matches to date and remaining unbeated to the South Americans since 2002.
Head-to-Head
• Poland won each of the last 26 world level major competition matches against Argentina.
• Poland and Argentina have met 31 times at world level major competitions, with 26 wins for Poland and five for Argentina.
• World level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
• Argentina won the first five world level major competition matches against Poland, played between 1986 and 2002.
• The last encounter between Poland and Argentina in a world level major competition came at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, when Poland won in straight sets.
Poland
• Poland have lost their last three VNL matches in straight sets. They won eight of their nine VNL matches prior to this losing streak.
• Before last weekend, Poland had not lost consecutive matches in straight sets in world major level competition since the 2016 World League.
• The last time Poland lost four successive world level major competition matches in straight sets was during the 1998 World League (against Russia, Brazil (twice) and Serbia & Montenegro).
• Poland could lose four matches in a row at a world level major competition for the first time since the World League in 2016.
• Poland could claim at least nine victories at a single world level major tournament for the first time since the 2015 World Cup (10 victories).
• Pawel Zatorski is the most secure receiver in the 2018 VNL with an efficiency rate of 27.03%.
Argentina
• Argentina have two wins and 10 defeats in the 2018 VNL.
• The last world level major tournament in which Argentina suffered more than 10 defeats was the 2013 World League (then 11).
• Argentina have won at least three matches in each of their previous seven major world level tournaments.
• Argentina have lost each of their last six world level major tournament matches that needed a fifth set, since a 3-2 won over Bulgaria in the 2017 World League.
• Cristian Poglajen is Argentina's top score in the VNL on 123 points.
• As setter, Maximiliano Cavanna has the third-highest average per set (9.1) in this year's VNL.