Bari, Italy, September 18, 2018 - Serbia and Russia are both 3-1 and already qualified to the next round of the 2018 FIVB World Championship, regardless of the result when they meet on Tuesday. Russia lead their World Championships head-to-head series 4-3 - though Serbia have won the last two encounters.
Head-to-Head
• Serbia (including Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegor) and Russia (including USSR and CIS) meet at the World Championship for the eighth time. Serbia won three of the previous meetings, Russia four.
• Serbia won their two most recent matches against Russia at the World Championship: 3-0 in 2006 and 3-1 in 2010.
• Serbia can beat Russia three times in a row for the first time at the World Championship. Russia beat Serbia three times in a row in their first three World Championship meetings (1956, 1962 and 1966).
• Earlier in 2018, these teams met at the 2018 Nations League. Serbia beat Russia in five sets.
Serbia
• After losing their opener 3-2 against United States, Serbia rebounded with wins over Cameroon, Tunisia and Australia.
• In 2014, Serbia also lost their first match, before they won their next five matches at the tournament.
• Serbia have won at least one set in each of their last 12 World Championship matches, most for them in the post-Yugoslavia era.
Russia
• Russia have won three matches and lost one at the 2018 World Championship.
• In 2010 (5 matches) and 2014 (3 matches), Russia won all of their first-round matches. They finished fifth on both occasions.
• Each of Russia's three wins at the 2018 World Championship came in straight sets. In 2014 they claimed six wins by a 3-0 score.
• Victor Poletaev scored a team-high 13 points in Russia's 3-0 win over Cameroon on Monday. Dmitry Volkov and Maxim Mikhaylov also reached double figures (10 points each).
• Mikhaylov has scored a total 51 points at the 2018 World Championships, most of all Russians.