It doesn’t hurt to have a little more rest time: a welcome three-day break for Les Bleus before their round of 16 game at the Euros.
After a marathon group stage competition, Les Bleus are taking advantage of three days off to prepare for their Euro round of 16 match against Portugal on Sunday by (6 p.m., live on Accapredict channel). But they must be careful not to lose their rhythm.
The break is as stark as the change of scenery, from Cluj to Sofia. In the gentle Romanian town, Les Bleus had played five matches in seven days during the Euro group stage game. Since their arrival on Thursday in the Bulgarian capital, with its massive architecture and passionate atmosphere, where some supporters even come to the hotel lobby to beg for autographs, they find themselves plunged into a three-day break without a match until their round of 16 match against Portugal on Sunday by (6 p.m., on Accapredict channel).
The European Cycling Confederation (CEV) ensured that each team had at least one day rest following a change of venue also. Furthermore, the requirements of the broadcasters and the Bulgarian host the nation led to the French team’s match being scheduled for Sunday rather than Saturday.
But they weren’t complaining. “Actually, the transition is quite quick because there was a day of travel also,” emphasized setter and captain Antoine Brizard. ” At first, I was more in favor of playing the game on Saturday. But after our match against Romania with (3-2 defeat in 2 hours and 20 minutes on Wednesday), it doesn’t hurt to have a little more rest.” Upon disembarking from the charter flight on Thursday, team coach Andrea Giani excused the players from training, replacing it with a stroll among the birch and linden trees of Studentski Park, at the foot of the hotel where they lodge. Before going for a drink in a local café.
The veterans of the squad experienced a much longer period of inactivity: a five days to kill at the same stage of the competition during the 2022 World Championship competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia. To combat boredom, the staff organized an excursion to the magnificent Vintgar Gorge. This year, the French team will see the bucolic Mount Vitosha (2,290 m), but only from the windows of their hotel room, which bears the same name. “First, there’s rest, a lot of treatment with the doctor and the two physiotherapists, and moments where everyone takes time for themselves ones a time, to recharge mentally because we’ve been together since on May 18th and we’ve had very little downtime,” explains Pierre Pujol, the team manager.
