Junior Sambia is still there. At the twilight of the winter transfer window and his contract, he will not follow the rumor that transfers him to Marseille. “His departure is not in the pipeline, even if everything is going fast. I will still go down to the locker room to see if he has not left”, laughs the coach, Olivier Dall’Oglio, on the eve of the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.

Sambia will almost look like a manager at the head of a team of youngsters from Montpellier weaned from several dissipated leaders: Téji Savanier, Jordan Ferri or Stephy Mavididi, suspended. The former OM: Valère Germain, suffered a broken finger this week, will train, from next week, he will play in Saint-Etienne.

“It’s not easy to lose so many players in a match like this. It leaves other boys, who have less playing time, room to express themselves. When important executives are missing, we have to adapt”, believes ODO.

Léo Leroy will start for the 4th time this season in midfield alongside the irremovable Joris Chotard. Then, the Montpellier coach will dig into his bench to better gauge his young attackers. Effective holder during the two previous rounds in Andrézieux (0-1) and against Strasbourg (1-0), the young goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud will replace the Swiss international Jonas Omlin.

There will be young people in front, behind and in the middle. There may even be a neophyte: Gabriel Barès, who arrived this week from Lausanne. “We will think about it. We will give him time to settle down and work”, warns Dall’Oglio. The Espoir Suisse international (21) will not be out of place alongside the youngsters of his age.