Can Kedzierzyn-Kozle prove the stats worthless?

Although Trentino Itas seem to dominate all the stats on the back of incredible performances throughout the Champions League by Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Grupa Azoty Kedzierzyn-Kozle have provided a more balanced play and seem to have more options in bringing the points in. So what will it be like when the two go head-to-head, Saturday in Verona, at the CEV Champions League Volley 2021 for the men's title.

The Polish side features three players amongst the Top 5 overall scorers of the competition - though behind leader Abdel-Aziz. Kamil Semeniuk comes in at No. 2 overall with 153 in his team's 10 matches, with Lukasz Kaczmarek at No. 3 on 144 and Aleksander Sliwka at No. 5 on 128.

It's Semeniuk again who leads Kedzierzyn-Kozle in serving, having delivered 14 aces in 36 sets and in blocking, it's Jakub Kochanowski who will need to prove his worth head-to-head against the two leading blockers of the tournament so far - Srecko Lisinac and Marko Podrascanin, both from Trentino.

Attacking is one of the rare occasions where Kedzierzyn-Kozle seem to have the edge over Trentino, with their most efficient spiker, Aleksander Sliwka 58.67% (115/196) better than the Italian side's best - Abdel-Aziz who stands at 56.12% (133/237).

But statistics weigh an ace at 0-0 in the first set same as one at 14-14 in a tie-break. And there's certainly other elements of a game that cannot be recorded in simple numbers.

Time and again this season Kedzierzyn-Kozle have demonstrated their ability to never give up, get out of the toughest of situations and deliver at the precise moments when it counts most.

If they show the same determination in Saturday's final in Verona, they can render any stats meaningless.