Handball: Mende Gévaudan Club Handball senior boys want to reach the last 16 of the French Cup

Erwan Pot and Olivier Cavalier, two key players of the men's team, will play a key role in this round of 32.Erwan Pot and Olivier Cavalier, two key players of the men's team, will play a key role in this round of 32.ale. DR

This Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 9 p.m., the senior boys of the Mende Gévaudan Club Handball (Prénationale) will play the round of 32 of the Coupe de France. They will face Est Handball 43, away.

For the senior boys of the Mende Gévaudan Club Handball (MGC), who play in the Pre-National, the year 2025 begins with a trip to the 32nd round of the regional French Cup, in Monistrol-sur-Loire, this Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 9 p.m., against Est Handball 43.

The road is still very long to reach the final. For captain Antoine Cuminal and his teammates, it will be a clash against a very tough opponent, currently second in the Pre-National championship.

After the disappointment of traveling once again to a team that had already hosted in the previous round, coach Florent Bodin and his players are ready to take up the challenge.

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“We are inevitably a little annoyed not to be able to offer such a match to the Mende public, because this draw is totally unfair, explained the coach. Est Handball 43 will have hosted three times in a row, while we will have made two trips in a row.”

A real battle

After ten days to rest their bodies and clear their heads, the coach found a very motivated group that put a lot of energy into the first minutes of the first training session of 2025. The boys absolutely want to write the club's history this season, knowing that in the Coupe de France, they have never gone beyond the round of 32. “We managed to generate real enthusiasm for this match. A whole bus of supporters will come to encourage us. We don't have the right to disappoint them. I trust my players to give their best themselves.”

On the squad side, no major absentees are expected and the return of Iheb Maleel and Antoine Cuminal should provide interesting solutions to the coach. This match will be a real battle, and the mental and emotional control will be a determining key to passing this round which would finally open the doors to the 16th finals.