Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Volleyball World Championship match.
The play-offs of the Volleyball World Championship are about to begin. They open with a clash between Turkey and the Netherlands. The team, the designated hosts, are widely regarded as strong favourites, yet there is a genuine chance of an upset.
Turkey
Turkey went unbeaten through the group stage, yet in Group G they did not face serious opposition: Japan underperformed, Canada did not pose a threat, and Libya were clear outsiders. Even so, these opponents showed that the squad are far from flawless, especially in attack. They do not have a clear go-to scorer. The standouts are Adis Lagumdzija and Efe Mandıracı, who are averaging around 15 points per match.
Netherlands
The Netherlands, by contrast, have a prolific leading scorer. Michiel Ahyi is in outstanding form and is averaging 20.3 points per match, contributing not only in attack but also from the service line and on the block. It is also important to note that, in the final group-stage match, the team went toe-to-toe with Poland — the Nations League winners — and looked very competitive (25:22, 23:25, 19:25, 22:25).
Turkey vs Netherlands Prediction
Turkey are clear favourites, yet this summer the team twice lost 1:3 to the Netherlands. It is clear that the Netherlands will not go down without a fight this time either. We suggest backing the Netherlands +9.5 on the handicap.
