In Cannes, Montpellier signs its entry into the Coupe de France with the ambition of winning the competition

Les Montpelliérains veulent éviter la mauvaise surprise. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Le MHSC VB se déplace sur le parquet de l’AS Cannes, mardi 6 janvier (20 h), en huitième de finale de la Coupe de France dont il a été finaliste la saison dernière.

The MHSC VB starts 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, on Tuesday (8 p.m.).

If the Montpellier team concluded 2024 perfectly by clearly winning at home against Narbonne (3-0, on December 29), they hope that the seriousness seen during the holidays will bear fruit in this knockout match.

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“After five days of rest from December 20 to 25, the guys worked really well, rejoices 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 go to Bulgaria, Veikka Lindqvist to Finland. The Argentinians had visitors… New Year’s Eve on the 31st is less solemn, I have blind faith in the professionalism of my players. Since Thursday, we have resumed 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 are reaching one of the club’s priority objectives.”

Le Marrec: “We have to be there on D-Day”

Unlucky finalist last season, the Hérault club has never yet added this competition to its list of achievements. And if they came close to doing so in the spring, Montpellier know that the road will be long and that each step can be fatal: “We will have to approach this match as we do in the championship, with the same seriousness and the same determination, warns Le Marrec. The Cup is a title to go for with the particularity that these are direct elimination matches. It is 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 Ligue A), MHSC VB is the favorite to get a ticket to the quarter-finals even if it will play far from its bases. On December 14, Ezequiel Palacios and his team won a narrow victory in the championship on the court they will meet again this Tuesday (3-2): “Cannes is a good team, they made it difficult for us at home” , notes the Montpellier coach.

“She came close to winning 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'll also have to undermine their reception to prevent their passer from distributing their game in good conditions.” In short, MHSC VB must negotiate this trip well to take a first step towards a second consecutive final in the national competition.