Head-to-head
· Russia defeated Iran in their only previous World Cup clash, 3-0 in 2011 after a 31-29 win in the first set.
· Iran claimed their first victories against Russia in major tournaments by beating them three times in the 2015 World League.
· Russia have recorded seven wins in total against Iran, including their most recent encounter in this year's World League, 3-1 on 4 July.
Iran
· Iran have scored at least one set in each of their last five World Cup matches, which is a record streak for them.
· If they record at least two sets against Russia, they have won at least two sets in four consecutive matches, breaking their record from 2011, when they had three such matches in a row.
· They have won 14 of their last 20 competitive matches this year, in World League, Asian Championship and World Cup.
· Amir Ghafour had 18 points against Poland on Saturday, of which 16 were spikes and two aces.
Russia
· Russia have won 10 of their last 11 World Cup matches, losing 3-1 against Poland on 8 September.
· They have won four of their last five competitive matches at the World League and World Cup after having lost their previous 11 matches this year.
· Maxim Mikhaylov scored 19 points against Argentina, most of all Russian players in that match on Saturday.