On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball return to EHF Champions League action, taking on Belarusian giants Meshkov Brest - who beat them in the first leg - in their Group A Matchday 12 clash at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.
Opportunity for Paris
Postponed matches have plagues the campaign so far but they have not been a problem for the Belarusian club. Indeed, along with Porto, Brest are the only ones in the group to have played all their matches (Barcelona, Veszprém and Celje have done the same in Group B). With three matches to go, we can therefore draw up a provisional balance sheet for Brest: five wins, five losses and a draw for 11 points. Several sides could overtake them in the rankings once they have played all their matches and Lea Rouge et Bleu are one of them. In seven matches, the Parisians have won four and lost three, but their min away to Szeged ten days ago (29-32) has put them back in the race for the lead. A positive result on Wednesday evening would allow them to put pressure on the teams in front of them.
Attacking force
The Belarusians have achieved several strong results so far in their European campaign. One thinks in particular of their opening victory against Vardar Skopje (29-29) or the draw clinched in Flensburg (29-29). During these two great performances, they were able to rely on an excellent Marko Panic (a Chambéry player between 2012 and 2017). The Bosnian right-back scored 14 goals in those matches (seven goals in each game) and was a driving force in his side's success. He is also the club's top scorer on the European stage, with 52 goals and a peak of eight goals at Porto (27-25). One should also beware of pint-sized half-centre (1m79), Stas Skube - Dainis' former teammate at Vardar - who was decisive in Brest's first-leg victory over Paris.
A look back at the first match
At the end of November, Paris visited Brest with the firm intention of opening their account after defeat a week earlier against Flensburg (28-29). But, as was the case against the Germans, the game did not go as planned and went down to the wire (32-31). Faced with an aggressive defense, Dainis Kristopans (seven goals) and Mikkel Hansen (six) nevertheless managed to find solutions, but at the other end of the court, Panic (6 from 9) and Mikita Vallupau (7 from 11) were the most successful. Raul Gonzalez's men lost a wire-tight match and had to continue waiting for their first win of the campaign.
Key stats
On Wednesday, we should see a scoring duel between Mikkel Hansen and Marko Panic. Both players appear in the Top 3 on the scorers chart, and while Mikky is no stranger to such a ranking, he has scored his 56 goals in only seven games, while competition top scorer Alex Dujshebaev of Kielce has bagged 57 goals in ten appearances. Our Dane has been in fine attacking form for Paris Saint-Germain Handball, who as usual boast one of the best offensive lines in the competition, with 222 goals scored (average of 31 per game). Brest are at 311 (average of 28).
WATCH: As ever, @mikkelhansen24 made it look a lot easier than it actually is for @psghand vs @pickhandball. He is now the top scorer in the #ehfcl with 56 goals! pic.twitter.com/FPCJb3h3If
— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) February 6, 2021
To follow the game (kick-off at 18:45):
- Television: Eurosport Player
- Live tweet: our official page
(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)