Nantes (AFP)

French volleyball players return to Nantes on Tuesday (21:00) their best Italian opponents in the quarter-finals of Euro-2019, a pivotal match to allow them to emulate the Blues other collective sports that have managed their home competition.

See Bercy and keep dreaming. This is the huge challenge of the match between France, European champion 2015, and Italy, vice Olympic champion in 2016, in the Hall XXL Nantes announced full and ready to ignite at the slightest spark for a place in the last square of the Euro.

This quarterfinal chopper will serve as a stallion to judge the success or otherwise of the team of France in "his" Euro at home, the first international competition that it organizes (with Slovenia, Belgium and the Netherlands) since the Mondial-1986.

"This Euro in France, I think it will have been useless for the French volleyball if we are not in Bercy.It is clear and clear", affirmed before the competition Earvin Ngapeth, star of the team titled in 2015 in Italy and Bulgaria.

Winning this quarter-final can tip French volleyball towards the collective tri-color sports that have been successful in their home competition, such as football (1998, 2016), handball (2001, 2017, 2018) or basketball (2001, 2013) .

"We're just looking to go to the next round, we're more instantaneous," moderates manager Laurent Tillie.

And the Blues could not dream better as an opponent than Italy, land of welcome for a French generation who grew up in the Superlega, one of the best, if not the best championship in the world.

"The most important thing is not to change the state of mind that we have on the ground since the beginning of the competition," said the captain and passer of the Blues, Benjamin Toniutti.

- With Rio-2016 in mind -

For him, the match won against Italy in the group stage in Montpellier (3-1) can serve as a basis for work, even if the success of the Blues in Herault was more of a symbolic value, since the stake of the first place in the group was not decisive.

Between the two countries, animosities were revived during the Olympic Games in 2016. "Since Rio-2016, it's weird, we promised ourselves that one day we would return the favor," Ngapeth repeats. .

Rio remains frustrated on the French side: for the last day of the group stage, the already qualified Italians had dropped their match against Canada, effectively eliminating a favorite of the quarterback race, France or Brazil.

The French had yielded 3 to 1 against the hosts and saw their tournament under the Rings stop abruptly, they who had come with the coronations in World League 2015 and Euro-2015 in suitcases.

- "It will be hot" -

Under the tricolor jersey, there are four who will evolve in Italy next season: Jenia Grebennikov, with Trento after the beautiful days of Lube Civitanova, Stephen Boyer grows in Verona, Barthelemy Chinenyeze will go to Vibo Valentia and Trévor Clevenot in Milan.

"It will be hot, that's for sure France-Italy is always very special, we know each other very well, for some we've played together for a long time, there are some who play in Italy and who do not really want to lose, it'll be nice, "said Ngapeth.

France will have the advantage Tuesday night to evolve in front of a public in Nantes fully committed to his cause.

"We are surprised, we are on a very hot public that supports, it's because we used to play in full halls like that, but abroad", appreciates Laurent Tillie.

© 2019 AFP