Lausanne, Switzerland, June 19, 2018 - Bulgaria and Germany go head-to-head Sunday in Tehran, all tied at 5-7 in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and also in their own series at world level 10-10. In theory, either (but not both) could still qualify, but that would mean winning all of their remaining matches and those on 8-4 losing all of theirs and then prevailing on set ratio - rather a long shot.
Head-to-Head
• Bulgaria and Germany (including West/East) have met 20 times at world level major competitions, with both teams claiming 10 wins.
• World level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
• The last world level major competition match between these teams came at the world championship in 2014, when Germany won 3-1.
• Bulgaria won the two most recent encounters at other tournaments, two straight-sets wins at the 2015 European Championship in October 2015.
• A few months before, Germany had won gold at the European Games, after a 3-1 win against Bulgaria in the final.
Bulgaria
• Bulgaria have won two matches in a row in this year's VNL for the first time.
• Bulgaria can now win three matches in a row at world level tournaments for the first time since a run of three wins at the 2015 World League. At that tournament they registered a four-match winning run, followed by a series of three wins.
• Bulgaria can beat three teams in a row from different confederations at a single major world tournament for the first time since they claimed successive wins against Tunisia, Russia, Japan and Argentina at the 2007 World Cup.
• Bulgaria have won five matches at the VNL, already most for them at a world level competition since nine wins at the World League in 2015.
• Svetoslav Gotsev (29) and Viktor Yosifov (28) lead the VNL on most stuff blocks.
Germany
• Germany have won one of their last four VNL matches, a run that started after they had claimed three successive wins.
• Germany could suffer back-to-back defeats in straight sets at a world level tournament for the first time since three in a row at the 2014 World League.
• With five wins in this VNL, Germany needs one more win to equal their six wins at the 2017 World League.
• Simon Hirsch is Germany's top scorer at the VNL - 130 points, including 18 blocks.
• Tobias Krick has registered 25 stuff blocks.
• Jan Zimmermann has scored 15 serve aces.