Football: in the Coupe de France, the dream of Aimargues, the reality of Nîmes

Les Aimarguois ont passé trois tours en Coupe de France. Pour en franchir un quatrième, il faudra un exploit face à Nîmes Olympique… MIDI LIBRE

Coupe de France/5e tour. Quatre divisions d’écart : le SOA (Régional 2) cherche l’exploit, NO (National) cherche la manière, ce samedi 12 octobre à 17 heures.

Aimargues 0 – Nîmes Olympique 8. This is not the result of this Saturday's match, because we are unable to predict the future. But it is the score of the last clash between the two teams, on April 6, in the championship, in Regional 1. Same ground as this afternoon, same coaches. That day, Adil Hermach was far from imagining that he was managing his last match with the reserve team.

Adil Hermach: “The 8-0 over there”? Everything had been perfect!”

A few hours later, he was called to the bedside of the first team, to keep them in the National. “We had talked a lot on the way there and back with Adil, remembers his Aimargue counterpart Mickaël Métais.I really liked the way he worked, the way he exchanged. And I was happy that he managed to save the pros, with reserve players too…"

Pleasure shared by Adil Hermach : "Yes, the contact between us was good. The 8-0 there ? It was an incredible match that you rarely get to repeat in your career. Everything had been perfect!" Like El Hamri, author of 3 goals and 4 assists, who had “killed the game” and who will return today to the scene of his crime.

Mickaël Métais : "We have maybe a 5% chance. We're going to try to play them to the fullest"

"I'm not going to use this match in my speech, it's better not to, smiled Mickaël Métais. We had come up against a superb team and their liveliness had made us suffer on our magnificent artificial pitch, which had not been to our advantage. There, like other small clubs, we can't forget to mow on purpose… We have maybe a 5% chance, we're going to try to play them to the full, to seize the slightest opportunity. We are the small ones, we have a lot of desire, will it be enough, we'll see!"

Vauvert, Chusclan-Laudun, Anduze…

Over the last ten years, NO has faced three other Gard clubs in the Coupe de France. The Crocos eliminated Vauvert (R2) 4-1 in the 6th round in 2023, Chusclan-Laudun (R3) 3-0 in the 7th in 2021 and Anduze (R2) 3-1 in the 8th in 2017. But each time, it was not a sinecure. “I discussed this this week with Toufik El Akkari, the captain of Vauvert, confides Métais, former Crocodilet in the youth categories. It was the expulsion of one of their players that made the difference, while they were leading 1-0. We must not go there as victims."

Aimargues is undefeated this season

After all, Aimargues, relegated from Regional 1 in the spring and currently co-leader of R2, is undefeated this season, all competitions combined. And has already come back from 0-2 to 2-2 twice in the championship, to finally win (6-3 in Castelnau and 3-2 against Uzès). If Nîmes leads 2-0 at any given moment, they are warned: the game will not be over…

"We must make sure not to be the surprise, summarizes Hermach. In view of the championship, this meeting must serve us in terms of rhythm, confidence and goals. Rotate ? Yes and no. In any case, I hope it's a great party."

The last Nîmes epic is twenty years old

The young Nîmes technician, who remembers being taken out, as a player, by "an N2 with Lens when we were in L1 (true: Montceau, CFA, in 2006 in the quarter-finals)" also hopes to finally see his troops win away from home. This would be a first step towards a new epic. The last Crocos match was twenty years ago, in the 2004-2005 season (half-time lost to Auxerre, 1-2). An eternity.

The groups of the Gard derby

Aimargues.To choose from Drujon, Fedière, Montagud (goalkeepers), Antech, N.Gely, Khyi, Cayuela Pallares (cap), Simon (2nd cap), Mabillon, Saura, Carion, Vors, Lauret, E.Gely, Poirier, Finelli, Belhomme, Friaa, Gabelle, Salert.

This is the 2nd time that Aimargues has challenged a pro club in the Cup, after Arles (D2) in 1973 in the 6th round.

Nîmes. The probable eleven: Dias – Sbaï, Iafrate, Mendy (cape), Laurens – Akkal, Lemaangr – El Hamri, Osei, Badu, Khalid. Replacements to be chosen from Cozzella (l.), Diouf, Delpech, Bouaoune, Camara, Amara, Abdeldjelil.

Absent&nbsp ;: Simon (l.), Ali Abdallah (in selection), Paviot, Doukansy, Picouleau, Marcel, Labonne rested, as well as perhaps Beneddine and Mexico. The Crocodiles trained twice on the synthetic pitch at Bellegarde this week.

Practice. Kick-off 5 p.m. Opening by René-Dupont at 4 p.m. Tickets: 5 euros; standing, 10 € tribune. Referee: Gaëtan Martin.

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