Preview: 5 things about Nantes - Paris
On Saturday, the capital club take on Nantes in the Coupe de France final at the AccorArena in Paris. Find out everything you need to know about the match!
1 - FORM
Unbeaten in all competitions since December, Nantes are in irrepressible form. In fact, Grégory Cojean's men have now won ten games in a row, and recently managed to end Les Rouge et Bleu's unbeaten run in the Liqui Moly StarLigue with a resounding 32-30 win. Still competing on all fronts, The H, like Paris, have a particularly busy schedule ahead of them and face a tricky trip to Füchse Berlin on Tuesday for the quarter-finals of the EHF European League.
Like Nantes, Paris are also in contention in all competitions. Leading the Liqui Moly StarLigue with a three-point lead over Nantes, Raul Gonzalez's men have the chance to claim their second title of the season after the Trophée des Champions, which they won at the expense of Nantes in August (35-25). This decisive match comes at a turning point in the season for Les Rouge et Bleu, who face Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League on Thursday.
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2 - THE QUEST FOR A SEVENTH TITLE
On Saturday, our team have the opportunity to win the seventh Coupe de France in club history, adding to an already splendid record. Les Rouge et Bleu's first Coupe de France title came in 2007, when they beat second-division side Pays d'Aix 28-21 in the final. Les Rouge et Bleu then had to wait seven years to get their hands on the precious trophy again, defeating Chambéry in 2014 (31-27). This was followed directly by the first of the two titles they won against impending opponents Nantes. The second was Paris' last title in the competition, in 2022. In the meantime, the capital club added two more titles to their trophy cabinet, defeating Nîmes in 2018 (32-26) and Montpellier in 2021 (30-26). A seventh title would enable Paris to close the gap on MHB, the competition's record holder with 13 Coupe de France titles.
3 - THE JOURNEY THUS FAR
Paris and Nantes have both fought hard to reach the AccorArena since the start of their epic journey last August. Raul Gonzalez's men had to work hard to overcome a valiant Frontignan side (38-42). For their part, The H automatically booked their place in the last 16 following the withdrawal of Villeurbanne. The defending champions showed no mercy against Créteil in that round, delivering a real lesson to keep their dream of a double alive (23-38). Les Rouge et Bleu also put on a show in front of their home crowd against Saran (44-27). It was on the back of the international break, which saw several Parisians and Nantes players win European titles with Les Bleus, that the two sides confirmed their place in the final four. The Parisians put in a solid performance against Nîmes (30-22), while The H once again pulled out all the stops against Saint-Raphaël (34-25).
In the end, both coaches were forced to work extra hard to secure their place in the final. Faced with familiar foes, Paris came from behind to defeat Montpellier (32-35), its tormentor at this stage of the competition last season. It was a victory won on mental strength at the end of a breathless encounter. The same could be said of the other semi-final, between Toulouse and Nantes (26-28) - The H came from behind to win through to their second consecutive final.
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4 - HEAD TO HEAD
Saturday's meeting between Nantes and Paris will be the third in their history in the Coupe de France. Les Rouge et Bleu came out second-best in the quarter-finals of the 2012 edition, but have since turned things around and beaten Nantes in the final twice, in 2015 and 2022, the date of their last title in the competition. In addition to the Coupe de France, Raul Gonzalez's men have already crossed swords with The H on three occasions this season in all competitions. Paris opened the season with a comprehensive 35-25 victory over Nantes in the Trophée des Champions. A few months later, the capital club came from behind to beat The H 35-32 in Liqui Moly StarLigue Round 5. Finally, more recently, Grégory Cojean and his men got the better of the Parisians in a red-hot H Arena in Round 23 (32-30).
5 - TO FOLLOW THE MATCH
Kick-off: 21:05
Television: BeIn Sports 3 and La Chaîne L'Equipe
Social networks: Live-tweet
(Credits: L. Valroff/Team Pics/PSG)