Plock, Poland, November 23, 2018 - Reigning FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship title-holders Zenit Kazan take on fellow Russians Fakel Novy Urengoy in their first match in this year's competition.
Head-to-Head· Zenit Kazan and Fakel Novy Urengoy meet for the first time at the Club World Championship as Fakel are making their debut in the competition.
· This is the first all-Russian Club World Championship meeting as two Russian teams participate in the competition for the first time.
· Zenit have won seven of their nine Champions League (since 2000) matches against fellow Russian teams.
· In last season's Russian Volleyball Super League, Zenit Kazan won the title while Fakel finished in sixth place. Zenit won both league matches against Fakel, 3-2 at home and 3-0 away.
Zenit Kazan· Zenit Kazan participate at the Club World Championship for the seventh time. Only Trentino Volley (8 in 2018) have appeared in more editions. Sada Cruzeiro also appear for the seventh time in the competition.
· Zenit are the defending champions. They became the second Russian team to win the Club World Championship after Belogorie Belgorod in 2014.
· Only Sada Cruzeiro (2015-2016) and Trentino (2009-2012) have successfully defended their title at the Club World Championship.
· Zenit also claimed podium finishes in 2009 (3rd), 2011 (3rd), 2015 (2nd) and 2016 (2nd). Only Trentino (6) have finished in the top-three more often than Zenit (5).
· Zenit have won each of their last five Club World Championship matches without losing a single set.
· Zenit have won 19 Club World Championship fixtures, of which 16 in straight sets and three by a 3-1 scoreline. They have failed to win their four previous five-setters in the competition.
· Zenit have won the last four editions of the Champions League and have claimed nine of the last 10 national titles in Russia, including each of the last five.
Fakel Novy Urengoy· Fakel Novy Urengoy are making their debut at the Club World Championship.
· Fakel are the sixth team from Russia to appear at the Club World Championship, after Dinamo Moscow, Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, Belogorie Belgorod, Zenit Kazan and CSKA Moscow.
· Only one of those five Russian teams has failed to reach the podium in the competition. Dinamo Moscow finished fifth in their only participation, in 2010.
· Fakel won the CEV Challenge Cup in 2016/17, after finishing as runners-up in 2015/16.