Volleyball: a Hérault derby between two teams with opposite dynamics

Le défi est de taille pour les Sétois, face à un voisin en grande forme. MIDI LIBRE – Jérôme Belluire

Sète, ninth in the standings, welcomes a Montpellier team in second place and on a series of four victories, this Sunday, January 12 at 5 p.m. in Béziers.

Loïc Le Marrec's gang will arrive at the Béziers Méditerranée sports centre this Sunday with their suitcases full of confidence. After a somewhat chaotic start to the season, with clear victories against Tours, Cannes and Chaumont but also defeats that were no less chaotic (in Narbonne and Tourcoing), Montpellier has been in good health for a month with four victories in a row. Ezequiel Palacios and his team seem to have found their cruising speed. And even if Tourcoing is doing some serious damage in the Marmara SpikeLigue, that makes them serious contenders for the title, and even for the double after their clear victory in Cannes in the Coupe de France.

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A painful first leg for Sète

For their part, the Sète team does not display great guarantees. Ninth, they also have a bad memory of the first leg. Deprived, in their defense, of a few key players including the passer Gelinski, they had literally hit rock bottom at their neighbors. This match in Montpellier had also marked the beginning of the troubles. Chronic irregularity, mentally too fragile, supposed leaders not up to par have meant that Arago has, since then, had to be content with two victories (Toulouse and Narbonne) and has tumbled to ninth place.

“Even if we had not played with all our weapons, we had taken a correction”, confirms Luc Marquet. “We must go there with the desire to take revenge. Because, beyond the ranking, I continue to believe that we have the ability to move them. We are coming off a good week of training, we put in a big physical effort and yet the players are doing well. We would now like to see this quality of play in a match. We know what awaits us, we are going to play against a solid team, full of confidence. But we have nothing to lose. If we could play this match uninhibited and attack 2025 with a bang, that would be a good thing. We saw it against Tourcoing, as soon as we let go of the reins, we are better. “

For this fourth match on Béziers soil, where the Sète team have already lost three times, it will therefore be urgent to sound the revolt. Especially since Arago didn't really celebrate during the break, with the announcement that Luc Marquet's contract would not be renewed. “We are now on a mission”, concludes the Sète coach. “There aren't many games left and if we want to make the playoffs, we have to stop playing small. Conquering spirit!”