Argentina's top scorer Pablo Crer is likely to be a crucial part of the locals' hopes against Canada
Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 24, 2015 - Argentina and Canada prepare for a do-or-die weekend in La Matanza, near Buenos Aires, with FIVB Volleyball World League matches scheduled on Friday and Saturday at 18.40 local time. The results could decide which Pool C team qualifies for the Group 2 Finals alongside hosts Bulgaria.
Canada currently sit top of Pool C after gathering 22 points, and Argentina are ranked third with 13. These numbers give Canada the edge as they only need two points to book their tickets to Bulgaria, while Argentina must secure back-to-back victories to stay on track and at least one of them has to be by 3-0 or 3-1.
So far this season, Argentina are yet to win both games on a same weekend, meaning that they will need to perform at their best to keep their hopes alive. Their last result - a very convincing 3-0 win over Bulgaria in Salta, might be the boost they need to achieve this goal.
The host team will prepare at their training camp in at the CeNARD facilities in Buenos Aires and move to the venue on Thursday. Canada will arrive in Argentina on Wednesday early afternoon. The North American side seized an important win in Cuba last weekend, even without their super-scorer Gavin Schmitt, but with good performances by Steve Marshall, captain Fred Winters and Toontje Van Lankvelt.
A brand new stadium will serve as the setting for the two matches between Argentina and Canada, as Microestadio Municipal Juan Domingo Perón in La Matanza was finished just a few months ago. This venue located south-west of Buenos Aires is the third to welcome the FIVB World League to this area in recent years - after Lomas de Zamora in 2014 and Almirante Brown in 2012.