Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Women's Volleyball Nations League match.
The ninth round of the Women’s Nations League gets underway with a fixture between Bulgaria and Brazil. The Brazilians remain firmly in contention for top spot in the standings, sitting just two points off the leaders. Their objective in Tibu is straightforward — to secure a win.
Bulgaria (women)
After a promising start to the competition, Bulgaria have suffered a notable downturn in form. They endured four consecutive defeats and only halted that slide in the previous round, narrowly overcoming Thailand, who currently occupy last place in the standings, in a deciding set. Particularly worrying was their straight-sets loss to the Czech Republic, a team not considered among the elite (19:25, 22:25, 11:25). While some may highlight the fact that Bulgaria took a set against Italy (25:23), this was followed by two heavy set losses, both ending 15:25.
Brazil (women)
In the eighth round of the Nations League, Brazil delivered an assured performance to defeat Turkey (25:18, 23:25, 25:23, 25:15). Following that, they competed in the Copa America, where they rotated their lineup to give key players a rest while maintaining overall match sharpness. That period of rest and rotation should benefit Brazil, who are expected to come back re-energised and in strong form.
Bulgaria (women) vs Brazil (women) Prediction
The gulf in quality between these two sides is considerable, and Bulgaria have also gone two weeks without any competitive action. That lack of rhythm will make it especially challenging to keep pace with Brazil renowned for their relentless intensity. A commanding performance from Brazil is anticipated.
