WATCH LIVE: Serbia Battles Belgium for Bronze at the European Championships

2017 EUROPEAN MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

• Krakow, Poland – final site
• August 24-Sept. 3, 2017
• Schedule/Results
• Streaming on Facebook Live / Streaming on YouTube

Serbia vs. Belgium – Bronze Medal Match

• 17:30 local time GMT +2
• 17:30 in Belgium time
• 17:30 in Serbian time
• 11:30 PM ET, Saturday; watch live

Serbia is already guaranteed a top four finish for the 10th time in 12 years, but they’re hoping that finish with a spot on the award podium. In total, they’ve nabbed seven bronze medals and 10 medals overall in the competition, as they look to add to their total.

Belgium begins the day already exceeding their high mark in the event with a first ever top-four finish. In fact, they’ve never earned a medal at the Olympics, World Championships, World League, World Cup, Grand Champions Cup or in the European Championships. They look for a new day as they go for history in the third place-match.

• Read our full preview here.

More Facts about today’s final, Courtesy of the CEV:

Head-to-head
– Serbia (including its predecessors) and Belgium have met five times before at the European Championship.
– Serbia won three times: 3-0 in 1951 and 1967 (both as Yugoslavia) and 3-1 in 2013. Belgium won twice: 3-1 in 1971 and 3-0 in 1987 (both against Yugoslavia).
– Their last competitive meetings came at the 2017 World League. Belgium won 3-0 in Novi Sad, while Serbia won 3-0 in Tehran.
– These teams also met at the qualification tournament for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Serbia beat Belgium 3-1.

Serbia

– Serbia will finish in the top four for the 10th time in their last 12 participations in the European Championship. The exceptions are 2009 (fifth) and 2015 (seventh).
– Serbia could claim their 11th medal in the competition and their eighth bronze medal. Only Russia (22, including 2017) and Italy (13) have bagged more European Championship medals. Their seven bronze medals are already a record in the competition.
– Serbia have won five of their previous six bronze medal matches at the European Championship, only losing to Russia in 2003. They claimed their other two bronze medals in the early editions with a round-robin format (1975 and 1979 as Yugoslavia).
– They have won at least one set in each of their last 30 European Championship matches since a 3-0 defeat against Russia in the semifinals in 2007.

Belgium

– Belgium will finish in the top four at the European Championship for the first time.
– Before this year, Belgium’s highest finish in the tournament was a fifth place in the inaugural edition in 1948, when only six countries participated.
– Belgium managed only a 10th place finish at the European Championship two years ago.
– Belgium have also never claimed a medal at the Olympic Games, World Championships, World League, World Cup and Grand Champions Cup.