Nantes and Nice meet in the Loire region for the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Women’s Handball League playoffs, in what promises to be a very intense first round.
Having fallen off the podium on the final day of the regular season, Nice (4th) drew Nantes (5th) in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. Not an easy draw for the “Aiglonnes,” who will have to manage their trip to the Loire region well this weekend before hosting the Nantes team next week for the decisive match.
In the championship, the “Aiglonnes” won twice against Jan Basny’s players and will need to replicate their performances against a Nantes team eager for revenge and determined to secure their spot in the semi-finals.
Weakened by injuries during their French Cup semi-final, Nice lost to Toulon St-Cyr, and there remains uncertainty over the presence of some key Nice players for this meeting.
Ehsan Abdelmalek’s teammates will need to stand united to make up for any absences. Meanwhile, Nantes aims to make a strong impression in front of their home crowd and take the lead before heading to the Côte d’Azur.
The battle between the two teams promises to be fierce, and there’s no doubt that this first round will provide insights for the matches to come.
