Lausanne, Switzerland, June 14, 2017 - Italy and France meet for the 42nd time in World Leage history Friday in Antwerp, with Italy leading the series 24-17. But though France, the winners of the 2015 FIVB World League and reigning European champions, have already secured their third straight Final Six appearance, Italy, the Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists, are still 1-5 and desperately in need of a win on Friday to stay in the race.
Head-to-Head• These teams have met 41 times in the World League. Italy have won 24 times and France 17.
• Only Russia - Cuba (43) has been played more often in the World League than Italy - France.
• These 24 losses are most for France against a single opponent, while they only won more often against Japan (21) than the 17 against Italy.
• France won the last six matches in the World League between these teams. Only once, there was a longer streak between these teams as Italy won their first eight World League encounters.
• Last year, these teams contested the World League bronze medal match with France winning in straight sets.
Italy• Italy started the 2017 World League with a straight sets victory against Iran but lost all other five matches.
• They can lose six World League matches in a row for the first time since the Intercontinental Round of 2014.
• Italy failed to win a set against United States, grabbed one in the next against France and two against Russia in their most recent match. If the streak continues they will win three against France and win the match.
• Giulio Sabbi is the Italian top scorer in this World League. His 60 points are inferior to the total of three France players and almost half the amount of France's and Group 1 top scorer Stephen Boyer (106).
France• France are the only remaining team in the World League without a loss and are already guaranteed to play the Final Round.
• In their six wins they conceded only four sets and failed to win the first set in only one match (the previous one against Italy).
• Since USA's defeat to France in straight sets in June 2013, France have won at least one set in all 58 World League matches they played since.
• Stephen Boyer has scored 106 points and is the top scorer of the 2017 World League Group 1.