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I expected even odds on this game (1.85-1.85), simply for the respect for Iran, but I would personally say that China are the favorites. I watched all of China and Iran's games here and Iran have one win more, but China left a better impression. They had 2-0 against Poland today, but it seemed they did not believe they could win that game. Japan were even with Iran in three sets, even had a set-point for 2-2, but the game lasted over two hours even though they played 4 sets. OK, they dominated the block, but they had a lot of problems with Japanese defense. China are, for me, a much more advanced version of Japan, their block is taller, they have better serve and much more dangerous attackers. China defeated Japan in straight sets. Iranian middle-blockers will face 'giants' Geng and Chen so they will not have as much room for attacks, and they will have to focus more on the sides. I underestimated China ahead of this tournament, but they have impressed me here and I think they are ready to qualify for the Olympic Games. Polish players said that the Chinese are the best blocking team on the tournament. The second relevant game is the one against France. China were even with them in three of four sets, and the Iranians calculated a bit against them, but they still couldn't win a set. The next important item is the time when the game is played. Iran played last night, the game finished after nine PM, and they will get on the court at noon today, while China had more time to rest. Head-to-heads are not very important in this situation, because it took China a while to find their form, and Iran used that. I decided for China's win because two sets mean nothing to them, and the same goes for Iran. Details

France won 3/4 games, but only one, against Iran, convincingly. We have seen them struggle against China, they dropped 2-0 against Poland, and Australia caused problems for them today with mostly bench players, without Edgar. Selector Tillie admitted that the players are exhausted mentally and physically, they are under pressure and it is not easy to play. It is obvious that they drop after the second set, but they also had less time to prepare than any other team. They will face maximally fired-up and more rested Canada, who can defeat anyone on a good day. Yesterday they had a stronger practice against Venezuela, Sanders made a lot of rotations in offense, and there shouldn't be any fatigue. Canada seemed compact and all players contributed. At the first glance, the time of the game seems irrelevant, but that's not the case. This is the first game of the day and it is played at 10:10 AM Japanese time, and France still haven't played so early, while this is the fourth game at that time for Canada. Canada's set seems like a great bet in this situation. They won a set against Russia, Italy, Poland in the last year, and I don't see why they wouldn't do it today against unstable France. I think this handicap shouldn't even exist, -1.5 in sets on France seems much more realistic. Details

This should be a one-sided win for Iran but I would not agree with that at all. This is a must-win for Japan and not the least bit important game for Iran. I don't see this finishing in straight sets for either team. Japan have just one win in three games which is not good enough for them and definitely doesn't reflect their quality. They displayed amazing dedication against Poland yesterday the importance of this game will definitely get them even more motivated. The fact China got a point against Poland means there can be no holding back. Iran are powerful physically but their reception and offense is not good. Their last game which was at World Cup in Japan was decided in the fifth set and finished at 211 points. The lineups are the same as before but the importance of this game is much greater and I cannot agree with this margin, which is 34 points lower than the total points in their last game. The margin was set at 182,5 points and I would go with the same margin here. That gives us a window of 8 points. Details

China trashed Japan in straight sets two days ago, while Japan beat Venezuela easily. Also, the Chinese played a pretty close match with France. Their blocking is great, the serve as well which is why Japan stood no chance and that doesn't happen often. Venezuela struggled with reception, especially of float serve, which the Chinese used a lot to cause trouble for the defensively strong Japan. Venezuela have some 30 errors per game, while the Chinese let opponents much better than Venezuela get 17 points per game. On the one hand we have the well-organized Chinese while on the other we have the wild Venezuela who don't have even nearly as good quality. I expected a bigger handicap since the Japanese beat Venezuela by 15 points while China beat them by 10. The realistic margin seems to be at least -15,5. Details

Canada and Australia played some excited matches and never finished under 179 points. They played 5 matches in the last 2 years which finished with 245, 179, 213, 187 and 225 points, all well over this margin. To make things even better, the key players for both teams are here. Canada went at 198 and 222 points while the Australians recorded two unders but that is not so important because they basically had two blowouts with Iran and Venezuela (played 4 sets). We have to very similar teams here, both in style and players. The odds set here don't really match the real quality of teams, especially Australia. The margin is very low and I expect at least 4 sets, which should be enough to see 180+ points. Details

This is the seventh head-to-head between Iran and Australia in the recent history, and in the previous six, the Kangaroos have at least won a set. I am slightly surprised with the odds on Iran because the Australians have proved to be a team that can surprise any other team. They are stronger for Zingel, the captain and one of the most experienced players, and Roberts who is finally healthy. Considering the rules of the tournament, this is a very important game because no one wants to lose against direct rivals and at the start of the tournament. Iran deserve the role of the favorites, but not by that much, and I expect Australia to win at least one set. I personally expected +1.5 handicap on Australia, not +2.5 and we have to take this. Details

The Austrians have shown a warrior's face by catching up Moldavia's result twice, and it all culminated with a maestro fifth set. For a long time I haven't seen Austria so determined and so compact, mentally they've "matured" and surely they got a huge confidence boost. After 143 minutes Luxembourg crushed the weak Lithuania, showing quite a lot of weaknesses and I'm sure that will reflect on their game today. First of all, they're semi-professional players, and they emptied out a lot yesterday. The Austrian selector yesterday called to full focus today. Schneider's arrival proved to be a good move because he has huge experience, and I expect the players to make Warm's words a reality. Zass, Berger and Schneider have double the international matches than all the Luxembourg players together, they gained confidence and I see this match as a one-way street for the Austrians. As a comparison for the handicap I took Moldavia and Luxembourg since two years ago which ended with the Moldavians winning with 22 points of difference in small points. The handicap is not too high and considering everything pointed out here, I expect Austria to get from 19 to 23 points of difference. Details

The Hungarians fell apart yesterday and that's a good enough indicator of quality. Receivers Gergye and Bozoki don't look trustworthy throughout the preparation period, and yesterday they had a lot of problems at the reception and the offense which are their two primary tasks. So, everything comes down to what will Padar too, a player whose potential is not questionable, but he's also a player who missed a part of preparations and who is missing matches. The Norwegians had minor issues with England yesterday which is a consequence of the psyche and the pressure due to being hosts. Individually and collectively they're stronger than the Hungarians, they have the width in the offense options and the home court. The main point for this bet is their head-to-head from two years ago which was played in Hungary. The Norwegians won 3-2 with eight points of difference in small points, even though that was the strongest Hungary in the last couple of years. Compared to that match, the Hungarians are without two of their super-experienced receivers Veres and Nemeth who recorded 37 points (22+15), they won more than half of the offense (63/120) and in general, they held Hungary's game. Libero Molnar is also out. The Norwegians remained almost the same, they're stronger for Fasteland, and through the two years they've progressed in all fields. I expect Norway to win, and to be 12 to 15 points of difference, and the Hungarians have lost all four matches of the season with 10 or ore points of difference in small points. Details

I don't see a way for the English amateurs to do anything against Norway here. This is the first important tournament which is taking place in Norway after many yeas, which is why they are motivated here. Norway is much better quality wise, both when it comes to individual and team quality. Third thing is preparation. Norway were in Italy and played Australia, the English players were working because they are amateur volleyball players. Some of them didn't play a single match since the English league ended. This will be their first match in two months and the first match together after a year. Also, Norway's players are much taller which means the English will be faced with a wall on the net. Norway's starting lineup is 200cm tall on average, the English 195. The English will be without Bakare, who cannot be replaced. Norway beat Bosnia by 16 in 4 sets, Switzerland by 18 also in 4 sets and Hungary by 8 (3-2). All of those teams are a few levels above England. This is the closest group and Norway will be very motivated to win. The margin is under is low but I don't see how England could go over the 47-50 point margin. I even calculated Norway's errors in. The realistic margin seems 4-6 points lower than the one set here. Details

The Swedes were studiously getting ready for this, playing three games against teams far better than Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan were focused on the existential matters more - the players haven't been paid for six months, and refused to go to Tbilisi three days before the match. All the matches that were planned were cancelled, the coach Jalalov was fighting the administration and their practices, if they can be called that, were bad. They managed to solve the problem one day before the trip, but the local press are saying things are far from over, and the atmosphere is bad in the national team. Nobody was even thinking about Sweden. They also lost Kovalenko, the key player who has no good substitute. Their coach Jalalov is 29 years old, so his experience could be questioned, too. The Swedes are without Nilsson, but his substitute Larsson is more than good, so the points handicap went from -19.5 to -17.5, but that's just because the importance of Nilsson's absence is overexaggerated. Azerbaijan have problems far bigger to deal with than that. Also, Sweden crushed Azerbaijan by 27 points total two years ago when Nilsson was playing, when the handicap was set to -23.5. It's hard to draw parallels with that game, but I'd say that handicap could work today, and Sweden could win this by +22 easily. Team's under for Azerbaijan is a good pick, too, but the points handicap is a better option, unless Azerbaijan don't make one set complicated. Details

Lube are the favorites quite rightly so but they're not as heavy favorites as the offs suggest. Blengini can use all of his foreigners today but I don't think Stoychev failed to prepare his team for that. Trentino are not harmless, as their two wins showed. Lube, on the other hand, got a win in the unimportant game in the end. I don't think Lube can win this on neutral grounds in straight sets. Djuric and Lanza are back at Trentino, they have the best block and can get this complicated. The pressure is on Lube. They are expected to reach the semis or this season will be a failure. That works for Trentino. The margin is set pretty low because 4 of their games finished in 5 sets, not counting the insignificant one which finished in straight sets. Guven the over margin, 4 sets with an average number of points will do. The margin should be three points higher. Details

You can take the set for the visiting team even without this bet. This is their fifth head-to-head this season. In three official matches we saw the maximum 15 sets, and one friendly was decided in a tie-break. Nantes have three wins and the odds seem a bit unreal. It's obvious they have a game for Tours, they can stand up to them physically in all positions and the results show that. In the visiting team they're convinced they can knock out Tours, and coach Demar is known as a pragmatic and he rarely boasts with "big" words. Tours should be the favorites, there's no doubt about that, but not @1.15 because the results so far are not a coincidence. Nantes have the quality, the experience and the momentum to complicate these series, and I believe they can do it today. Details

The odds at Paris are completely insane for a few reasons. They struggle quite a lot and it all comes down to what Hoag and Gasaprini do. That doesn't seem enough compared to the quality the visitors have. Besides, they struggled with the decimated Lyon in the last round. This match is important as it means a lot for both teams. Nantes are one point short of Paris at the moment. They are tied when it comes to wins and have an almost identical set difference. The margin is tied to the odds, which means it's off as well. The last 6 games went well over this margin, which is why we cannot miss out on this. The realistic margin is around 179,5 up until 181,5 given the history and current form of these teams. Details

Tours lost to Beauvais and cannot afford another slip today because Chaumont would get only two points short. Also, they are playing Chaumont on Tuesday so they need to stay ahead today. Coach Heynen said that a defeat is not an option here. The visitors squandered a 2-0 lead over Chaumont and definitely lost all chance for spot three. Coach Enard said they're now turning to playoffs and that this game will be a preparation for that. The most important thing for this tip are the matches in Tours. Tourouse never lost more than a set. The difference in points was 16, 32, 12, 10, and 25 points in the last 5 matches. Tours won away this season by 14 points when they were in the biggest crisis. When Tours say they need the win and that they will try and get it, they mostly live up to that. Tours will win this by 15+ points. Details

This might be the match of the season for Montpellier, and the match that has to be done on their way home for the big feast for the Corsicans. They tried to postpone the game, which Montpellier refused, naturally, because their first league status is hanging by the thread. The guests' coach says they're empty mentally and physically, no surprise there after their first trophy ever. Simovski will be spared, as will Miranda, their two key players offensively, and perhaps some of the other players, too. Nobody's talking about Montpellier, Ferrandez said before the Cup final that they have to beat Beauvais and Nantes (which they had), and then they're calm in Montpellier, and we shouldn't forget they're playing Chaumont at home on Friday. Montpellier aren't that bad, they did spend most of the championship in the upper half of the table, and had some nice results at home. They were getting ready for this game for 10 days, and their rivals' schedule is working in their favor (Beauvais and Lyon). They haev to win tonight. They've got the defensive weapons for Ajaccio, they've beaten them 3-1 in an away match when Ajaccio were in a great form and with their full lineup. The difference in motivation is huge, the guests are tired and their thoughts are elsewhere so I expect Montpellier to take advantage of that. Details

There is no official confirmation about Muserskiy, but there are a few things that suggest he won't play today. They had a training game yesterday and he was the only one who didn't play. I don't think Khamuttskikh will go with someone who is not fully fit in a game like this. Belgorod are definitely not the same team without him. Trentino proved that this Tuesday. Hats off to Tetyukhin, Ivovic and Danilov but Muserskiy is the key man on this team. Dynamo have a chance to secure top spot and the Champions League next season. A win would get them 3 or 4 points ahead. In case of a tie in points, they would have a better h2h record. The knock-out from the CEV cup is good for this game since they focus only on Superliga. There are some clues that they tanked the Gazprom Ugra game to win the second spot. Dynamo won 3-1 in Belgorod with Muserskiy's 24 points. There is no player capable of making up for his points and Makeshin didn't prove to be a good enough substitute in the block. The team from Moscow is complete. Grankin is back and I don't think the home team will stand much chance to get a point or more here. Details

The odds like Dynamo are off and so it the margin. This is their third meeting this season and the team from Moscow has two wins. Still, both of those matches went down the same way. Ugra had 2-0 and 24-22 in the last round that was played last Saturday, while they had only 2-0 in Moscow and squandered it all away. The first match finished at 200 points, the second one at 214, which means even the stats are good for this tip. Looking at the last 7 head-to-head matches. There is not much to say after this, it all suggests we should see a lot of points in Moscow and that the margin is off. Details

Lyon are still without Aranha and Jourffroy and I think that Cannes are big favorites in this match. A lot has been said about the importance of it. After Beauvais lost yesterday,t he winner is to get even further ahead. The visitors are weakened and I don't see a way for them to stand up to Cannes, who are on a roll and who rarely lose home. This is pretty straightforward. I think Cannes are a big favorite and I believe they'll confirm that on the court. Details

Currently, Zenit are not a team who will crush someone, especially not as a visiting team. The players have been drained from constant playing, and they're coming to Novy Urengoy after visiting matches against Kuzbass and Nizhny. Fakel can beat any team in front of their fans, and after the 0-3 defeat in Belgorod they want to redeem themselves. We've seen four sets in Kazan with the hosts' win, and today Fakel can complicate that. The margin is set very low, with four sets it will surely pass and I can't miss that. Details