truebluefan

Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Moldova and Albania will compete this weekend in the first-round Pool D tournament of the 2010 FIVB Men’s World Championship in Guba, Azerbaijan.

Montenegro are clear favourites ahead of the January 9-11 round-robin event at the Olympic and Leisure Complex Hall, with their team including players on the roster of some of the leading European clubs.

The winner of Pool D advances to the second-round Pool H, which takes place through May 27-31 in Liberec, Czech Republic, where they will play against hosts Czech Republic, Finland, Ukraine and Belgium.

Hosts Azerbaijan's preparations have been hit by an injury to local star Farid Jalilov, which will hamper their chances of advancing to the next round ahead of their rivals, but Azerbaijani head coach Sahib Aliyev believes that local support will give them a boost.

“We won a previous friendly game against Albania thanks to the active support of our fans, so I am confident they will help us a lot also during the tournament," said Aliyev. The Azerbaijani Volleyball Federation has said it expects an excellent turnout of spectators.

Azerbaijan may be able to count on the warm support of their fans but the weather in Guba is another story, with temperatures currently a bracing -6 to -10 degrees.

Match schedule (all local times)

January 9
1. Moldova-Montenegro, 16:00
2. Azerbaijan-Albania, 18:30

January 10
3. Albania-Montenegro, 16:00
4. Moldova-Azerbaijan, 18:30

January 11
5. Albania-Moldova, 16:00
6. Montenegro-Azerbaijan, 18:30

__________________
UFC 112: Invincible