The Nice-Volley match this Friday night against Cambrai already carries significant importance for the rest of the season and the possible qualification into the playoffs (1) for promotion to Ligue A.
With six matches left in the regular season of Ligue B, the second tier in men’s volleyball hierarchy, Nice-Volley no longer fully holds the cards. While it seemed that Mladen Kasic’s men were on a direct path toward the Top 6, they missed their last two appointments and are no longer in control of their destiny.
Sure, the Azuréens managed to defeat both the 2nd and 3rd ranked teams, Lyon (2) and Asnières-sur-Seine, on their court, but the home defeat against Canteleu managed to reintroduce some doubts. And what can we say about their last match at Plessis-Robinson. The Aiglons received a small thrashing on the Île-de-France court. A decisive 3-0 (25-15 / 25-17 / 25-15) without error. Mladen Kasic’s protégés didn’t show much on Saturday night and will need to regroup quickly.
And the hosting of Cambrai doesn’t necessarily come at the best time. Ratko Peris’s men are on a solid streak. Since the beginning of 2013, the Nordistes have a record of six victories against two defeats, against the leader Saint-Nazaire and Lyon with rather close scores. They will need to pay close attention to Radovan Gavrilovic, Ivan Tropan, and Galin Radichkov, to name a few.
If Cristian Bartha’s teammates don’t manage to secure a win, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye. Conversely, a victory would close the gap a bit with their opponents of the evening and still give them a small chance of qualification that they must seize. But knowing that the 5th place team already has 37 points, it seems like the game might already be over. After hosting Cambrai, the Azuréens will have five matches (3) left to score a maximum of 10 points. See you Friday at the Salle Gianmarchi starting from 8 PM.
