Veszprém, a club full of aces and stars, comes to challenge MHB in the Champions League

Konan et le MHB sortent d’un match compliqué face au Paris Saint-Germain. SYLVIE CAMBON

Le Montpellier Handball reçoit le Veszprém du Catalan Ludovic Fabregas, ce jeudi à 20 h 45 au FDI Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain is not the only club with plenty of money chasing a first Champions League. In Hungary, Veszprém, Montpellier Handball's opponent this Thursday at FDI Stadium (8:45 p.m.), is an anomaly. A magnificent loser regularly qualified for the Final 4 and just as usually excluded from the coronation by Kiel or Kielce, to name only these two.

So, each offseason, the red devils strengthen themselves until their opponents are disgusted. This summer, Ludovic Fabregas, one of the three nominees for the title of best player in the world, left his hot Catalonia for Central Europe and its harsh winters.

The kid from Banyuls, trained at MHB, found Hugo Descat, Kentin Mahé, Nedim Remili, a good half of the French team, Rodal Corrales, the goalkeeper of Spain, Dragan Pechmalbec, the Franco-Serbian pivot, or the Egyptian right-back and future Parisian Omar Yahia.

This constellation of stars is scheduled to win and finish the group stage of this Champions League in one of the two places directly qualifying for the quarter-finals.

For Montpellier, double European champion (2003 and 2018), it must be remembered, the challenge is significant. At least as big as that noted against PSG last Sunday at the Sud de France Arena. "We will find ourselves facing the same problem", recognizes Patrice Canayer. And nothing has really changed in five days. The Hérault coach will always have to do without Hesham, Simonet, Pellas, Nacinovic and Villeminot, and launch his kids, their naivety over their shoulders.

The best in commitment

"There was still some improvement between our trip last Thursday to Plock and the reception in Paris, wants to believe the technician. As in Poland, the boys had suffered the mental and physical pressure, as much against Paris, I felt a lot of progression in the commitment."  Enough to last forty minutes but no more.

"Here, at FDI Stadium, on a good day, in a good place, we can do extraordinary things" , he adds. Ludovic Fabregas could surely attest to this. He will unfortunately be in the other locker room, the other camp. "You realize if he was still with us."< /em>