Five things on PSG Handball - Montpellier
One of the biggest matches of the Lidl StarLigue season takes place on Saturday night! In Lidl Starligue Round 23 action, Paris Saint-Germain Handball play host Montpellier at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in a match that promises to be as exciting on the court as it is important for our side's prospects of clinching the title!
1 - First vs second
Without a doubt, we are at a crucial point in our championship! Les Rouge et Bleu, currently clear atop the standings, continued their perfect start to the season on Tuesday evening against Istres (39-26) and now have a league-record 20 wins from as many matches (the previous record, 19 out of 19, was set by Montpellier in 2011-12). Currently, four points separate the two sides and while Montpellier can revive the title race with a win in Paris, our players have the chance to carve out an formidable six-points - with nine rounds to go - should they come out on top in this crunch challenge. Note that Patrice Canayer's men, have put together a ten-game unbeaten streak, since conceding their one defeat of the season - at home to Paris in December.
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2 - A look back at the first match
The first time the sides met this season, back in Round 13, was an extremely close affair! The schedule was very tight for the Parisians, who had just defeated Nantes (24-26) at the H Arena a few days earlier. For most of the game, the two sides went blow for blow with neither one able to carve out a significant lead (30': 19-19). The result was still far from clear with just fifteen minutes left to play (45' : 27-27) but, in the end, it was the capital club who found the resources to step on the gas in the dying stages. Our Spanish right-winger Ferran Solé Sala led the way with an 8 from 10, while the seven goals of Nedim Remili the ten saves form former Montpellier man Vincent Gérard were also crucial.
3 - Key stats
There will most likely be an avalanche of goal at Coubertin on Saturday! The LSL's two best attacks will be facing off against each other and while Paris Saint-Germain have the edge with 696 goals scored in 20 games (34.80 per game), Montpellier are not far behind with its 631 strikes (average of 31.55). In individual terms, the four highest scorers heading into this match are separated by just 11 goals, with Lucas Pellas (78) and Hugo Descat (82) leading the way for the MHB while Mikkel Hansen (86) and Nedim Remili (89) are Les Rouge et Bleus' most reliable sharpshooters. Defensively, the rear-guard led by Vincent and Yann Genty is also the most efficient in Lidl StarLigue with only 509 goals conceded, while the visitors have shipped 540 so far this season.
Auteur d'une belle parades lors de #USDKPSG, @Gerard_Vincent figure dans le Top Arrêts de la J22 de @LidlStarligue !
— PSG Handball (@psghand) April 15, 2021
4 - Head to head
As is generally the case when these two teams lock horns on the court, the head-to-head history between the sides is also very evenly balanced. Heading into this, their 31st Lidl Starligue clash, the Parisians have a slender advantage with 15 wins, three draws and 12 defeats. The capital club have recently bucked a trend in Montpellier's favour and currently find themselves on a five-match winning run in this fixture. Our side's last home loss to Montpellier dates back almost ten years (November 16, 2011, 29-31) when the Montpellier line-up featured several future Parisians: Nikola Karabatic, Mathieu Grébille, William Accambray, Samuel Honrubia, Mladen Bojinovic and even our current captain Luka Karabatic.
5 - To follow the match (kick-off at 20:30):
• Television: beIN SPORTS 3
• At the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium: Behind closed doors
• Live tweet: our official page
(Crédits : TeamPics/PSG)