Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Women's Volleyball Nations League match.
Neither France nor Belgium are considered among the top-tier squads in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, but this fixture offers both sides a genuine opportunity to secure a crucial victory and gain valuable points. France will be aiming to recover from a disappointing campaign last season and a defeat in their opener against Turkey. Meanwhile, Belgium, despite a recent promising run in the Women's European League, failed to impress in their Nations League opener.
France (women)
Currently ranked 19th in the world, France endured a difficult campaign in last year’s FIVB Volleyball Nations League, finishing 14th overall. Their struggles extended to the Olympic Games, where they lost all their matches. However, France have a positive recent record against Belgium, having won their last two encounters with strong starts in both. Even in their recent loss to the fifth-ranked Turkey in this year’s Nations League, France managed to take a set — a promising sign against one of the world’s leading sides.
Belgium (women)
Belgium women's national volleyball team had a poor run in the Challenge Cup, posting defeats to 32nd-ranked Vietnam women's national volleyball team and 16th-ranked Puerto Rico women's national volleyball team. They also failed to progress beyond the group stage in the Women's European League, managing a lone win against 65th-ranked Denmark women's national volleyball team, but losing to 34th-ranked Hungary women's national volleyball team. Their Nations League campaign started unconvincingly with a straight-sets loss to world number four, China women's national volleyball team, followed by a narrow victory over 13th-ranked Thailand women's national volleyball team, who took a set and scored at least 22 points in all three sets.
France (women) vs Belgium (women) Prediction
Neither side is in top form, but France appear to be the more cohesive unit and have a stronger recent record in this head-to-head. Belgium struggled even against Thailand, and facing France is likely to present further difficulties. Backing France seems the most logical choice in this match-up, given their recent performances and momentum.
