All you need to know about Nantes - PSG Handball

News

After a weekend without a match, Paris Saint-Germain Handball return to action on Tuesday evening as they travel to Nantes for their Liqui Moly StarLigue Round 14 clash - the last league outing of 2021.

The table
We have come to a turning point in the season. Les Rouge et Bleu Red and Blue are still clear atop the league standings, with 12 wins from as many games. Following the postponement of their match against Saran, they are yet to play their Round 13 match.

This wasn't the case for Nantes, who disposed of Chambéry (38-29) to move to within three points of PSG. Should Nantes get the win on Tuesday, they will be provisionally just a single point behind the capital club, but a win for Raul Gonzalez's men would put them five points clear of their nearest challengers (and potentially seven if they win their postponed fixture away to Saran).

Face-offs
These two sides boast the league's two best attacks (411 goals for Nantes, 447 for Paris with a game in hand), and two excellent strikers. For our opponents, Spanish left-winger, Valero Rivera (78) tops the spring chart while for Paris, it is Mikkel Hansen (57) who stands out.

All four goalkeepers are also performing well! The H have been relying on some great form from Mickaël Robin and the always excellent Emil Nielsen, while the capital club have looked to their pair of Olympic Champions Vincent Gérard and Yann Genty.

Nantes reurgent
It has been a tricky start for The H: in their first five games, they conceded a draw (27-27 at Aix) and two defeats (at Cesson-Rennes, 29-27 and at home against Limoges, by the same scoreline). But since then, they have been unstoppable and are on an eight-game winning streak.

European representatives
Tuesday's duel will pit two of France's European representatives against each other. Nantes are repping France in the EHF European League, with a record of three wins, two defeats and a draw leaving them third in their group (behind Benfica and GOG).

The Parisians face tough competition in EHF Champions League Group B. Nonetheless, after their draw against Barcelona last week (28-28), they are tied on points with the Catalans and Veszprém in second place and are only two points behind leaders Kielce.

Head to head
This is the 25th time that Nantes and Paris have faced each other in the Liqui Moly StarLigue. The record is rather balanced, with 13 wins, three draws and eight defeats for our team. The last meeting went the was of The H, who won by one goal at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin (24-25). Before that, Les Rouge et Bleu had gone eight games without defeat against their direct opponent.

To follow the match (throw-off at 20:00):
- Venue: Halle Xxl De La Beaujoire
- Television: beIN SPORTS 1
- Our social networks: via our live-tweet


(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)