The MHSC VB travels to the AS Cannes floor, Tuesday January 6 (8 p.m.), in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France of which it was finalist last season.
The MHSC VB begins the year on the Croisette. The round of 16 of the Coupe de France is on the program for the first match of 2025 with a trip to Cannes, at the Palais des Victoires, Tuesday (8 p.m.).
If the Montpellier residents concluded 2024 perfectly by clearly winning at home against Narbonne (3-0, December 29), they hope that the seriousness glimpsed during the holidays will bear fruit during this direct elimination match.
“After five days of rest from December 20 to 25, the guys worked really wellrejoices Montpellier coach Loic Le Marrec. During the Christmas period, we made sure that the guys could see their families. For example, Dimitar Dimitrov was able to travel to Bulgaria, Veikka Lindqvist to Finland. The Argentinians received visitors… New Year's Eve on the 31st is less solemn, I have blind confidence in the professionalism of my players. Since Thursday, we have returned to a normal rhythm. We have to deal with the little viruses that are hanging around, the fatigue accumulated during the first part of the season, the falling temperatures… With the Coupe de France, we arrive at one of the club's priority objectives.”
Le Marrec: “You have to be there on D-day”
An unfortunate finalist last season, the Hérault club has never yet included this competition in its record. And if they came close to doing it in the spring, the people of Montpellier know that the road will be long and that each step could be fatal: “We will have to approach this match as we do in the championship, with the same seriousness and the same determinationwarns Le Marrec. The Cup is a title to be sought after with the particularity that they are direct elimination matches. It's always more stressful, we can't catch up, we have to be there on D-day regardless of the state of the troops.”.
Facing AS Cannes (promoted and currently 7th in League A), MHSC VB is favorite to get a quarter-final ticket even if it will play far from its bases. Last December 14, Ezequiel Palacios and his team won a close victory in the championship on the floor which they will return to this Tuesday (3-2): “Cannes are a good team, they put us in difficulty at home”notes the Montpellier coach.
“She didn't come far from a victory at Chaumont. It won't be easy against an aggressive opponent who fights a lot. We shouldn't be surprised if balls are defended, if they come back. We will also have to put poorly their reception to prevent their passer from distributing their play in good conditions.” In short, the MHSC VB must negotiate this trip well to take a first step towards a second consecutive final in the national competition.
France
