Wednesday saw the United States and Italy book their spots in the 2022 Men's Volleyball Nations League semifinals with victories over Brazil and The Netherlands, respectively. We now look ahead to the other two quarterfinals of the tournament on Thursday. France will face Japan in the first matchup, while Poland and Iran battle it out in the other. Keep reading for the Men's Nations League Picks.
Before we get into the odds, preview, and prediction for these two matches, make sure to check out our sports betting guide and our best betting strategies.
France vs Japan Odds & Prediction
France head into Thursday's encounter as a massive favorite despite finishing the prelims with an identical 9-3 record as Japan. They were utterly dominant when winning though, collecting seven of their nine victories in just three sets. While the French did go just 2-2 in their last four matches, the squad did beat some pretty solid opponents along the way including Brazil, Serbia, and even Italy. France also gave the US a serious run for their money, taking them to five sets in a thrilling battle. The French closed out the opening round with a four sets win over Argentina to secure a fourth-place finish. They've actually done well in the Nations League, winning bronze in 2021 and silver in 2018. Hopefully, a similar result can happen this time around.
The Japanese finished just behind France in fifth spot and will be looking to pull off the upset. Japan won four of their last five matches but is coming off a loss to Brazil in straight sets. Before that, however, they did take down Canada, Australia, Slovenia, and Germany, dropping just four sets in the process. Yuji Nishida is one to watch for this group, ranking third in total points with 193, including 156 attack points. He's one of Japan's best weapons and Nishida will surely need to bring his best on Thursday is his team is going to have any chance at beating France.
The French already defeated Japan in three sets in the preliminary round. They had absolutely no issues and I have a hard time believing it'll be a different story here. But, the moneyline at -900 is worthless in terms of value. That being said, the Japanese could end up putting up a bit of fight and taking a lone set. Bet on France to win in four sets at +210.
Men's Nations League Picks: France to beat Japan in four sets.
Poland vs Iran Odds & Prediction
Poland, which finished as runners-up to Italy, will be looking to continue their dominance on Thursday. The Poles ended with a 10-2 record in the opening round and both of their losses were close, losing in four and five sets, respectively. In the prelims, they won 33 sets and dropped only 10, proving to be one of the better teams in the Nations League. The Polish ran riot on Slovenia in their most recent match, winning in four sets. Captain Kurek Bartosz led the way with 23 assist block points and 14 attack points. He also blocked four shots. Poland outscored Slovenia 97-79 in total in the match and certainly come into Thursday in very good shape in terms of form. After all, they're the No. 1 ranked squad in the world as of June 12th and finished in second place in the 2021 edition, losing in the final.
Iran just squeezed into the final round with a 7-5 record, which was good for seventh place. They did hand Poland one of their only losses though, which is certainly a good sign ahead of this quarterfinal. The Iranians also won their final two matches coming into Thursday, taking out Slovenia and Serbia. The first set against the Serbs was an absolute dogfight, eventually winning 35-33. From that point on though, Iran was in cruise control, grabbing the final set by a score of 25-12. They're currently ranked 11th in the world and have never finished above fifth place in the Nations League tournament. In 2021, Iran ended in 12th place with a brutal 5-10 record therefore this team is already guaranteed to do better. But, their ultimate goal will be to knock out a very good Poland group.
Personally, I don't see Poland losing to Iran again when the stakes are this high. It's not going to be an easy task, though because the Iranians already have a taste of what it's like to beat the Poles. Again, the moneyline is offering minimal value. We're going to go Poland in four sets here as they march into the semifinals.
Men's Nations League Picks: Poland to beat Iran in four sets.
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