In the Coupe de France final, Montpellier can write a new page in its history

Demyanenko et les siens ont rendez-vous avec leur destin. Midi Libre – Giacomo Italiano

This Sunday at the Halle Carpentier in Paris (3:30 p.m.), the MHSC VB faces Nantes-Rezé in the final of a competition that it has never won before. This is a great opportunity for Nicolas Le Goff and his team to become part of the club's legend.

History. The word is out. Before playing it, this final is not yet final for Montpellier which has already lost two (2008 and 2010) but has never won a single one.

Whoever wins, it will inevitably be: for Nantes which can open its trophy cabinet or for the MHSC VB which has the possibility of writing an additional line in its prize list. "We are not going to call the story straight away, tempers the president of the Montpellier club Jean-Charles Caylar. First, you have to be ready to play a big match in a room you don't know. History only interests old leaders like me. The players live in the present moment even if it is important for their record, especially those who won the championship in 2022."

Demyanenko: "Leaving a mark in the club"

Like Nicolas Le Goff and Ezequiel Palacios, the Canadian Danny Demyanenko is one of them: "Everyone knows that it’s a big match to play. The excitement is building but I find us very calm. Each player wants to leave a mark in the clubs he plays for. I have been in Montpellier for a long time. I want to win this title for the club and for myself. But also so that, in future years, we can come together to relive these moments."

He saw others. Olympic champion with the French team in 2021, Le Goff approaches this major event with the calm that characterizes him: "The historical side, I don’not think about it too much, admits -he. I'm approaching this match like any other final. To win, you have to make the perfect match. Quite a few factors come into play: form, mentality, experience…hellip; We will have to manage the crucial moments in the match well, we have a team capable of that."

Le Marrec: "Don't let it become overwhelming"

The Montpellier residents, arriving in Paris this Saturday, will also be able to count on the experience of their coach Loic Le Marrec, his 190 caps with the Blues and his three successes in the Coupe de France with Tours (2007 , 2009 and 2010) : "From the moment it’s a first title to be won, it will inevitably be part of the history of the club. But I don't use this term in front of the players so that it doesn't become overwhelming. I don't want to add superlatives even if we feel that something is happening around this match."

The opponent: Nantes-Rezé VB

Second in the regular season and winner of Tours in the semi-final of the Coupe de France, Nantes-Rezé advances as being the slight favorite of this final against Montpellier. The NRVB, trained by Hubert Henno, is one of the new strongholds of French volleyball and wants to concretize this status for a first title. The two teams met in the championship at home. Castelnau, a week ago, and it was Montpellier who won. in the tie-break (3-2) in a match without stakes for Nantes which took place in the second half. of his sharp Brazilian Chizoba, voted best player in the championship this season. At the Halle Carpentier, the Nantes should be supported by many supporters, especially since, yesterday, the Neptunes of Nantes faced Mulhouse, at the same place, in the final of the Coupe de France feminine.

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