Lausanne, Switzerland, July 6, 2017 - Defending FIVB World League champions Serbia are with their back against the wall Thursday in Curitiba when they take on the 2015 champions France. USA qualified from this pool after beating Serbia on Wednesday, so the Balkan side now need a win for three points to knock out France and make the semifinals. It is the 22nd time the two teams come head-to-head in the history of the World League, with Serbia leading the series 12-9.
Head-to-Head• This will be an encounter between the last two World League winners - 2015 France, 2016 Serbia.
• Serbia have won 12 of their previous 21 World League matches against France.
• France won their last three World League matches against Serbia, including the 2015 final (3-0).
• In the Final Round, France won three of their five encounters with Serbia. Their last Final Round defeat against them came in 2006 when Serbia and Montenegro won in five sets.
France• France won their first match in the Final Six, a five-set win against United States.
• France lost only one of their 10 matches this campaign so far, the 3-2 defeat to Italy.
• France have claimed at least one set in each of their last 62 World League matches, since the 3-0 defeat to United States on 14 June 2013.
• Stephen Boyer is top scorer in Group 1 with 135 points.
Serbia• Serbia are bidding to become the first side to win the World League in back-to-back seasons since Brazil managed that feat in 2009 and 2010.
• Serbia and France are the only two teams who have finished in the top three of the final standings in each of the previous two World League seasons.
• Serbia have lost three in a row in the World League, their worst run in the competition since July 2014-June 2015.