For its last match of 2024, Nîmes (11th, 11 pts) travels to Limoges (10th, 11 pts), this evening at 8 p.m., for the 15th day of Starligue. Nîmes wants to win to stay in touch with 6th place.
Five wins, one draw and eight defeats. The numbers don’t lie: the first part of the USAM season is far from successful. However, she had started well with two victories in three days before this terrible gap and six defeats in a row. If the Green team was able to find resources to recover, notably with the great victory against Toulouse (36-29), it has never managed to string together more than two victories in a row. In a championship that is certainly increasingly tough, but where the Nîmes have the capacity to perform better. The defeat against Saint-Raphaël (29-33) and the draw against Cesson (29-29), during the last match, illustrate this lack of regularity.
A lost point which makes one cringe after being pushed against the Bretons, because Nîmes had the opportunity to finish strong in 2024. To hope to finish at least 6th this season, in 2025 we will have to extricate ourselves from this immense soft underbelly with nine teams that stand within three points of 6th to 14th place. In the event of success in Limoges, Nîmes would fall within one point of this famous sixth place, because fifth, occupied by Toulouse, remains difficult to access for the moment with six points behind.
Mohab absent for several months
In short, to continue to climb the rankings, we must win, and this, tomorrow against Limoges. An opponent who has the same record as USAM after 14 days with the particularity of also playing the EHF European League and having qualified for the main round. A team of European level which remains, in Starligue, with two defeats in a row away from home. Far from its bases, David Degouy’s men managed to win three times: in Tremblay, Chartres and Ivry. On three consecutive victories, Nîmes was beaten during its last trip to Beaublanc, on December 1, 2023 (32-29).
For this final outing in 2024, the Nîmes coach will have to do without three injured players. The main absence concerns the Egyptian Mohab Abdelhak, operated on this Wednesday on his right ankle. His unavailability is estimated between two and three months. Which deprives him of the World Championship in January. Hit in the back, Damien Gibernon is out, just like Wesley Pardin. Dylan Be will therefore have to fend for himself as goalkeeper. Not quite, because young Clément Grosjean was selected for the first time. Long-term injured, Boïba Sissoko will return with the group during the resumption on January 6. Which will leave more than a month to prepare for the second part of the season with the hope of shining more.
The recovery program
USAM will resume training on Monday January 6, 2025, three preparation tournaments are on the program. From January 17 to 19: 5th edition of the International Handball Meetings (RIH) in Châtellerault with Dunkirk, Irun (Spain) and Porto (Portugal). Match against Porto on 01/17 at 9:15 p.m. then match against Irun on 01/18 at 7 p.m. From January 24 to 26: Alps tournament in Chambéry with Chambéry, Saint-Raphaël and Kadetten Schaffhausen (Switzerland). Match against Saint-Raphaël on 01/24 at 8 p.m. then small final or final on 01/25. From January 30 to 31: Hand Elite 42 Tournament in Saint-Étienne with Aix, Istres and Tremblay. Match against Tremblay on 01/30 at 9 p.m. then small final or final on 01/31. Resumption of the official competition, Friday February 14, 2025 against Chartres at 8 p.m. at Parnasse (16th day of Starligue).
