Five things on PSG Handball - Cesson-Rennes

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On Saturday afternoon, the Paris Saint-Germain Handball are back in Lidl StarLigue action - after a European interlude - playing host to Cesson-Rennes in Round 2 at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.

A positive first
Les Rouge et Bleu got their league campaign off to the perfect start by beating Aix (34-31) last weekend, while Brittany side Cesson-Rennes started their season two days earlier. For their return to action among the French handball elite, Les Irréductibles had a stiff test in the form of visiting Saint-Raphaël. Despite trailing at the Glaz Arena with fewer than ten seconds left to play, Cesson had right-winger Youenn Cardinal to thank for share of the points after he converted a penalty with the last throw of the match (27-27).

A summer overhaul
Promoted club Cesson-Rennes have made some changes to their squad over the summer notably seeing France 'keeper Robin Cantegrel make the move to North Macedonia's reigning European champions Vardar Skopje. But several players also arrived! Among them, Romaric Guillo made his return from Nantes two years after leaving the club whose youth academy he came up through. After a stint in Kielce, the 28-year-old pivot returned has come fullcircle. However, after inuring his knee against Saint-Raphaël, he is unavailable for this weekend's clash. Rudy Seri (Irun), Jordan Camarero (Aix), Romain Briffe (Chambéry), Rok Zaponsek (Csurgi) and Joze Baznik (Nîmes) also joined the ranks of Les Bleu et Rose in the off-season.

Key stats
After only one round, Paris Saint-Germain Handball have already gone to the top of the attacking table, with 34 goals. A total that Raul Gonzalez's men owe in part to their back-line, led by Nikola Karabatic (eight goals) and Mikkel Hansen (six). However, the Lidl Starligue's current top scorer plays for Cesson: Youenn Cardinal, who bagged no fewer than 11 goals in the draw with Saint-Raphaël. Meanwhile Slovenian 'keeper Joze Baznik currently sits fourth on the saves chart after making 12 successful parries in the opening match of the season.

Paris dominant
In terms of head-to-head record, the capital club sit comfortably in front with 14 wins in 18 matches (one draw and three defeats). Paris Saint-Germain Handball's last loss in the fixture dates all the way back to 10 February 2012, when they fell 24-23 in Rennes despite a six-goal haul from Jeffrey M'Tima. The following year, Paris obtained their first win against Cesson (34-23), thanks to eight goals from Luc Abalo. Since then, the winning streak has seemed unstoppable...

To follow the game (kick-off at 7pm):
- Television: beIN SPORTS 3
- At the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium: get your tickets on our official website
- Live tweet: our official page

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)