Lausanne, Switzerland, July 18, 2017 - China meet Japan Friday in Hong Kong in as classic an Asian derby as it gets. The reigning Olympic champions have won their last five encounters with Japan, following a straight-set defeat in Tokyo for the 2014 FIVB World Grand Prix. The two sides last met at world level in the 2015 FIVB World Cup with China prevailing in four sets.
Head-to-Head• China have won their last five major encounters with Japan, following a 3-0 defeat in Tokyo in the 2014 World Grand Prix.
• Their most recent meeting at world level was their 2015 run-in at the World Cup. China won that match in Japan by 3-1.
• China have also won each of their last three World Grand Prix encounters with Japan.
China• China have started their 2017 World Grand Prix campaign with four victories from their first six. In each of the previous two seasons they started with six successive victories.
• China have won 13 of their last 18 World Grand Prix matches, which all took place in Asia.
• China finished in the top six in each of the previous five World Grand Prix seasons.
• Lin Li ranks as Group 1's Best Receiver, having registered a 90.08% efficiency rating.
Japan• Japan have started their 2017 World Grand Prix season with four victories from their first six. This is their best start to a campaign since 2013, when they won their first six.
• Japan finished outside the top six in the World Grand Prix last season, but did reach the top six in each of the three seasons prior to that.
• In each of their four World Grand Prix victories this season, Japan conceded at least one set.