Sada Cruzeiro face early duel with archrivals Zenit Kazan

Krakow, Poland, December 16, 2017 – Brazil’s Sada Cruzeiro Volei and Russia’s Zenit Kazan, which faced-off in the finals of the last two editions, will face an early duel in the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship semifinals.

• This is a rematch of the last two men's club world championship finals. 

• Both those finals were won by Sada Cruzeiro Volei: 3-1 in 2015 and 3-0 in 2016.

• In total these teams meet for the fifth time in the men's club world championship. They also met in the Preliminary Rounds of the last two editions, with Zenit winning 3-1 in 2015 and Sada Cruzeiro Volei winning 3-1 in 2016.

• Sada Cruzeiro Volei can reach their fifth club world championship final in the last six editions. 

• Only in 2014 they failed to reach the final, as they finished fourth.

• The 2014 edition also marked the only time Sada Cruzeiro Volei lost a semifinal at the club world championship, as they were beaten 3-1 by Al-Rayyan from Qatar.

• Sada Cruzeiro Volei won nine of their last 10 matches at the club world championship, only losing 3-0 to Lube Civitanova on 12 December this year.

• Sada Cruzeiro Volei have won the competition on three occasions (2013, 2015, 2016), only trailing the four wins by Diatec Trentino.

• Zenit Kazan are vying to reach the final of the men's club world championship for the third time, after 2015 and 2016. Both times they lost the final to forthcoming opponents Sada Cruzeiro Volei.

• After a run of three lost semifinals (2009, 2011 and 2012), Zenit can now win their third semifinal in a row. In 2015 they beat UPCN 3-0 and in 2016 they beat Diatec Trentino 3-0. 

• Zenit can win four successive club world championship matches for the first time. They previously had runs of three successive victories from 2009-2011 and in 2015.   

• The only Russian side that won the men's club world championship was Belogorie Belgorod in 2014.