Xuancheng, China, July 1, 2016 - Both Slovakia and Japan started the FIVB Volleyball World League 2016 Group 2 tournament in China with a 0-3 defeat each and now have a 2-5 win-loss record since the start of the competition. So when they meet on Saturday, one of them will score their first win in Xuancheng and third in World League 2016.
Head-to-Head
• This will be the first World League encounter between Slovakia and Japan.
• The only Asian opponents Slovakia have faced in the competition are China. They played them six times, winning twice and losing the other four.
• Japan have lost their last two World League matches facing opposition from Europe.
Slovakia
• Slovakia lost two of their three matches in each of the first two weekends of the 2016 World League, and started off with a defeat against China in the third (3-0).
• Slovakia will attempt to avoid losing four World League matches on the trot for the first time within a single campaign.
• Slovakia did lose four in a row on one occasion, the last three matches of 2014 and the first of 2015.
• Against China, only Peter Mlynarcik (10 points) managed to cross the 10-point mark.
Japan
• On Friday against Turkey, Japan suffered a fifth defeat in this year’s World League (against two wins). This was their first loss in straight sets in this campaign.
• For the first time since dropping 13 on the trot in 2013-2014, Japan have lost four World League matches in a row.
• Japan's last five victories in the World League all came in straight sets.
• Against Turkey, Japan had three players crossing the 10-point mark: Masahiro Yanagida (15 points), Hidetomi Hoshino (12) and Kentaro Takahashi (10).