Water polo: Against Reims, Montpellier plays a decisive match in the race for European qualification

Lazar Andric est souvent impérial dans son but. Midi Libre – Giacomo Italiano

The MWP aims to finish sixth in the championship, which would open the doors to the European Cup. To achieve this, he must beat Reims on Saturday (8:30 p.m.) at the Angelotti swimming pool in Montpellier.

Since the second part of the championship began at the beginning of March, the Montpellier Water polo players have marked on their calendar Saturday March 30, the date of the Reims reception.< /p>

They have known for a long time that a three-way mini-championship is taking place to find out who is Montpellier (8th with 11 points), Sète (6th with 13 points) or Reims (7th 12 points) will finish the season in sixth place in the standings, synonymous with qualification for the European Cup.

Vasseur: "A must-win match"

In the first leg, on October 14 in Marne, the MWP led by three goals before being equalized in the last moments and finally winning on penalties. This time, the Héraultais are aiming for victory in regulation time to pocket the three points.

In this case, they would overtake their evening opponents in the ranking and remain in contact with the Sétois traveling to Nice (9th). "It’s a match that we absolutely have to win, insists Montpellier coach Fabien Vasseur. Reims is our direct opponent, we must get to the heart of the matter straight away. I felt positive tension within the team, there is aggressiveness in training, no one is hiding and everyone is aware of the situation. issue."

In its pool at the Angelotti swimming pool, Saturday evening (8:30 p.m.), Montpellier Water Polo will have to be particularly wary of two Reims players, the Frenchman David Babic and the Croatian Domagoj Bulat, but also of its Slovak goalkeeper Tomas Hoferica who can get through it at times.

On the other side of the pool, Montpellier goalkeeper Lazar Andric is a sure bet for the team and the championship. The last bastion of the MWP, the Montenegrin international knows how to be decisive in important moments: "We prepare as best as possible. For my part, I feel in great shape, he reassures. Reims is an aggressive team in attack, well built but could be improved in defense."

With Andric in its goals, Montpellier would be well inspired to beat Stade de Reims to hope to achieve its objectives.

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