To find traces of Élan Béarnais in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, you have to go back to 2008, and a defeat at this stage of the competition against Nanterre. To say the least the wait was long for the Green and White who intend to stretch their adventure in this competition this season beyond this weekend. This would therefore mean going for a place in the final. In effect, this Saturday at 1 p.m. the Palois face Fos-sur-Mer in the quarter-finals at the Arena Loire in Trélazé (Maine-et-Loire). In case of victory the Elan will play its semi-final in stridethis Sunday (2:30 p.m. or 5 p.m.) and will therefore have the opportunity to punch his ticket for the final of the Coupe de France, on April 23 at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris.
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Fos, revenge
If the mere idea of completing a round of the Coupe de France is not enough for Pau this Saturday, they can add the frustrating memory of their trip to Fos-sur-Mer, a 72-70 defeat and the injury of Justin Bibbins which had complicated their start to the year. “Everyone was happy at the time of the draw to find them, we have a nice revenge to take“, confided Gérald Ayayi this Monday in 100% Clubs, “I feel in the locker room that everyone wants to catch up“, adds the leader Brandon Jefferson. On the way to the Palais des Sports, the Green and Whites had won in a sluggish way, 76-74.
Fos, last in the championship, are the lowest ranked team in the league of the last eight clubs entered in this Coupe de France, an advantage undoubtedly for the Pau (4th in the league) in this tight weekend. But if the Fosséens have not won for three games and their success against the Pau, they have since posed a lot of problems in Strasbourg (64-71) and ASVEL (84-80). “We have seen in the last games against teams who are also struggling not to go down that we have no margin“, does not warn coach Eric Bartecheky either. One more warning, if necessary, for Élan Béarnais.