Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Women's Volleyball Nations League match.
The Women's Nations League opens with a tough challenge for the Czech Republic, who go up against one of the giants of international volleyball in their first match. Brazil are strong contenders for the title once again, despite falling short last season when they missed out on a place in the final and failed to secure a medal. The Czech Republic, in contrast, return to elite competition aiming to deliver a solid performance against a much stronger opponent.
Czech Republic (women)
Ranked 15th in the world, the Czech Republic are still searching for a breakthrough on the global stage but showed encouraging signs last season. They lost only once in their last seven matches and managed to win at least one set in 13 consecutive games. Notably, in both of their official encounters with Brazil, the team managed to take a set each time.
Brazil (women)
Ranked 2nd in the world, Brazil failed to impress when it mattered most last season. They were beaten by Japan (ranked 7th) in the semi-finals of the Nations League before losing the third-place match to Poland (ranked 6th). Despite boasting a high-quality squad, Brazil dropped three sets over those two matches, suggesting either a lack of sharpness or lapses in concentration at key moments.
Czech Republic (women) vs Brazil (women) Prediction
The Czech Republic have already proven capable of taking sets off Brazil. They tend to avoid heavy defeats and usually start matches conservatively. While a set win is within reach, the more prudent approach is to back them with a substantial points handicap.
