Pool D: Reigning Olympic champions France start as big favourites

Four teams with limited experience and two strong sides will line up at the start of Pool D of the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Men, which is scheduled for the first time in history in Israel, in the Shlomo Group Arena in Tel Aviv, with the hosts, Israel, returning in the competition for the first time in 52 years.

The big favourites are, undoubtedly, the reigning Olympic champions, France, which will be aiming to make a strong comeback in the European premium competition, after being eliminated early in the previous edition, losing in the Round of 16 against Czechia in 2021, after a straight-sets loss.

Their head-to-head results against their opponents in the group are positive, with wins against all opponents in their latest matches at the CEV EuroVolley Men, starting with a win against Türkiye in 2017, and continuing with wins against Romania, Portugal and Greece in 2009 and one against Israel in 1967.

France have also warmed up in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League, where they ended up on the eighth place, after conceding a narrow 2:3 loss in the quarter-finals against the runners-up and hosts of the knockout phase of the competition, the United States of America.

Yet there were some warning signs for the reigning Olympic champions, which have conceded losses against two powerhouses – Poland and Slovenia – as France won a set in both matches, but failed to produce a comprehensive performance throughout the whole match.

Türkiye look to be the main challenge for France in this group, as they come with a strong morale boost after securing the trophy in the CEV Volleyball European Golden League 2023 | Men this summer. 

With seven wins and a single loss – against group rivals Romania – Türkiye looked firm in control, but both their wins in the knockout phase, against Czechia in the semi-finals and against Ukraine in the final, came in five sets, with dramatic matches throughout the whole competition.

Yet Türkiye will need a better performance if they are to improve from their previous results in the European premium competition, having finished in the 10th-15th bracket in the past 11 editions, with the best result coming in the previous edition of the CEV EuroVolley Men, in 2021, when they ended up on the 10th place.

For Israel, this will be a marquee event, as they have failed to take part in the European premium competition since 1971. Co-hosting the competition means that Israel will have a place in the line-up for the fourth time in history, after making appearances in 1951, 1967 and 1971.

They have finished on the 10th, 11th and 12th places in their previous appearances and will have their work cut out, as their last appearance in a major international competition was in the CEV Volleyball European Silver League 2021 | Men, when they ended up on the third place in their group.

Their results in friendly matches prior to the European premium competition have been mixed, with wins over North Macedonia and Montenegro, but also losses against the two European counterparts and Japan.

But with the competition being played on their home court, Israel will hope to get a boost in a tough battle for a place in the top-4 of the pool, which automatically brings a place in the knock-out phase. Their opponents will be Portugal, Greece and Romania, which sets up an interesting battle between four sides for two places.

Romania won the CEV Volleyball European Silver League 2022 | Men, and return at the CEV EuroVolley Men for the first time since 2019 and for the second time in this century. Four years ago, Romania won a single match out of the five they played, 3:1 against Portugal, losing against France, Italy, Bulgaria and Greece in straight sets.

But Portugal improved over the last four years, having made the knockout phase in the European premium competition in 2021, also thanks to a 3:1 win over Greece in the pool phase, a matching result from their previous encounter in the competition in 2019.

Greece have a mountain to climb too, in what projects to be a very interesting battle, having won only once in their last 14 matches at the CEV EuroVolley Men. That win came against Romania, in 2019, 3:1, as the rematch in Tel Aviv looks increasingly exciting, as the two sides will tough it out in what will be a pivotal game for the fate of the pool.