Lausanne, Switzerland, July 14, 2017 - Germany and Croatia come head-to-head for the very first time in FIVB World Grand Prix history when they clash Saturday in Almaty. However the two sides have met before in other competitions, including straight-set wins by Germany in their latest encounters at the 2015 European Games in Baku and the 2016 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Ankara.
Head-to-Head• This is the first World Grand Prix meeting between these nations.
• Germany won the two most recent matches against Croatia in all competition by 3-0 (2015 European Games and 2016 Olympic Qualification Tournament.
• Croatia have lost all their eight World Grand Prix matches against CEV teams.
Croatia• Croatia have lost two World Grand Prix matches in a row for the first time since 2015, when they lost six in a row.
• Croatia have now won and lost 13 World Grand Prix matches.
• Croatia have taken at least one set in 14 of their last 15 World Grand Prix matches.
Germany• Germany have now won three World Grand Prix matches in a row after losing 10 successive matches in the competition.
• Germany could win four successive matches in the competition for the first time since a run of five victories from 2012-2013.
• Germany have won two of their last 13 five-setters in the World Grand Prix. They had won seven of their first 13.