The United States of America (USA) will be looking to replicate their gold medal performance of the 1985 men's Volleyball World Cup as they take on Poland on Day 9 of the FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2015 on Monday in Tokyo.
The US side, led by David Lee, are looking forward to a memorable campaign and are keen on sealing a qualification for the Olympics next year at Rio de Janeiro.
The four-time Olympic gold medallists – 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, and 2008 Beijing – are currently leading the Volleyball World Cup 2015 rankings with 24 points from eight games and no losses so far.
However, their opponent, Poland, are equally formidable, as they are 2011 World Cup silver medallists and currently placed at the third position, with no loss so far in the ongoing tournament.
The 1976 Olympic gold medallists currently rank below Italy in the standings and will have to fight it hard to ensure a qualification for the Rio Olympics. Only the top two teams can qualify for the Olympics next year.
The USA come to the game after a 3-0 victory against Tunisia in their previous round of the tournament.
Head coach John Speraw has explained that their performances from the games so far are turning out to be effective.
"It's always a challenge to play in a tournament like this. We played well in the second set [against Tunisia] and had a good run of points," Speraw said.
"Tunisia did a good job of digging and service in the third set. We lost some focus in the third set but were able to regain it. I think the way we played that set will help us down the line. I'm grateful to win this match in three sets. A team with only one loss might not get the Olympic bid in this tournament. It could come down to the set counts," he explained.
The US may have won five of their last six matches against Poland in all the major competitions, but Poland have the statistics in their favour.
The European nation clinched a straight-set victory over the USA in their previous World Cup match in 2011, and still lead head-to-head with the USA in all major tournaments, with 17 wins and 15 defeats.
"Statistics are very cool, I like it. The most important thing, however, is to clinch promotion to the Olympics," Stephane Antiga, head coach, Poland, said.
"I hope that the end result will be positive for us and we could celebrate. As for the game, I have to admit that the Americans have a good system of defense."
The FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2015 match starts at 8:10 am GMT (9:10 am BST, 1:40 pm IST, 4:10 am EST).
Where to watch Live
The USA vs Poland game can be streamed live on the FIVB Volleyball YouTube account as well as the official website.
Audience in the US can catch the game on Universal Sports from 6 pm ET, with an online streaming option on USN TV.
