The highly anticipated French Cup basketball semi-final is set to feature Nanterre battling AS Monaco. While AS Monaco boasts an impressive 19-game winning streak against French clubs across all competitions, the team is currently grappling with significant internal challenges.
A profound financial crisis is severely impacting Monaco’s roster, leading to critical absences. Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis will not be on the bench for the Roca Team, and key players Nikola Mirotic (due to a plantar fascia injury) and Daniel Theis (for personal reasons) are unavailable. This leaves Monaco with only nine professional players, a notably thin squad for an Euroleague-level team.
Nanterre, having already demonstrated their resilience against Monaco with a close 76-81 loss at Gaston-Médecin on February 15th—a game highlighted by Mathis Dossou-Yovo’s 17 points—now sees a golden opportunity. With Monaco’s weakened state, Nanterre has a strong chance to secure their spot in the final against Le Mans, scheduled for Saturday, April 25th, at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy.
