Montpellier at the crossroads of its ambitions before the start of the final sprint of the season

Le Goff (à droite) aura la charge de guider les siens. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Ambitious, the MHSC VB launches a series of crucial matches. Starting with the Coupe de France quarter-final against Toulouse, this Tuesday (8 p.m.) at the Palais des sports in Castelnau.

Before each start of the season, the clubs announce their objectives. They are commented on a little by journalists and followers of the teams concerned but above all, they are placed in a drawer before re-emerging when the time comes. And for the MHSC VB, the moment has arrived.

Last October, before the start of the 2023-2024 financial year, Jean-Charles Caylar showed himself ambitious by asking his team to appear in the top four in the league at the end of the regular season and win a title.

The Coupe du France, the shortest path

The people of Montpellier are still able to satisfy their president. Sixth in the League A standings with 35 points after 20 days, they are four points behind fourth place occupied by Tours. However, the schedule is crazy with four of the last six matches against higher ranked teams: Tourcoing, Friday, Tours and Nantes-Rezé at home but also Chaumont away. Without forgetting the trips to Poitiers and Narbonne which will not be an easy task.

The Héraultais have until March 23 to ensure qualification for the play-offs – they are five points ahead of the first non-qualified – and to grab a place in the top 4 which would ensure them home advantage in the first round of the play-offs.

But the shortest way to fill the trophy cabinet is the Coupe de France route. And that's good since Ezequiel Palacios and his partners have an appointment with the national event, this Tuesday (8 p.m.), for a quarter-final which smells like powder against Toulouse. This is a great opportunity to do better than last season (elimination by Tours at this stage of the competition) against a vengeful opponent that MHSC VB has already beaten twice this season.

Le Goff: "I'hope we will be up to the task"

"We are arriving at a pivotal period with a decisive match in the Coupe de France which can qualify us in the last four of the competition and bring us closer to one of our objectives, confirms the central of the MHSC VB Nicolas Le Goff. We also have another important match against Tourcoing, Friday in a championship where the ranking is tight as we get closer to the play-offs. We notice the great teams when they respond in these moments. I hope that we are part of it and that we will be up to the task."

The people of Montpellier will be able to count on their Olympic champion who is used to these decisive meetings: "That’s why we do sport, it’s part of the job. It’s always nice to play this kind of matches since it means that we have ambitions."
 

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