Five things on PSG Handball - Porto

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One week after their trip to Porto (31-34), Paris Saint-Germain Handball are set to ice off against the Portuguese team once again! On Thursday afternoon, as the EHF Champions League's Matchday 8 swings into action, they will do battle in a fixture that promises to be every bit as hotly contested as the first match!

Keeping pace
Prior to Thursday's game, Les Rouge et Bleu had played five European matches this season, for three losses, two wins and four points. However, despite their difficulties, they do not seem to be out of the race for the top two spots, which bring direct qualification for the quarter-finals. A win against the Portuguese side, combined with a misstep by Flensburg (second in the group) away to Brest, would even allow them to come back to within three points of the Germans, with a game in hand. Porto, for their part, are five points ahead of the relegation zone, but they have played three more matches than seventh-placed Elverum.

A look back at the first match
Last week, Raul Gonzalez's men needed to win to get back to the upper reaches of the table. In a tight match, they were in an unfavourable position at the break (30': 16-12), but as soon as the second half began, they began to claw their way back and soon were back on level pegging. Well led by Mikkel Hansen with nine goals and Luka Karabatic with six, Paris managed to turn the situation around and come out on top for a dramatic win (31-34).

Goalkeeper duel
When we look at the statistics at the end of the first match, we can see that there were plenty of goals (65 in total - that's more than one a minute!). But the scoreline could have been much heavier! Indeed, the locals only managed to score on 66% of their shots, while Paris shot at 68%. These failures were due to the very strong performances from the two goalkeepers. For Porto, Alfredo Quintana Bravo made the first half a very difficult one for the capital club's attackers, winning most of his duels - be it one-on-one or from the nine-metre line and finished the game with ten saves (from 42 shots conceded). That's one fewer than his Parisian counterpart, Vincent Gérard. Brilliant in the second half, Vincent was at the origin of his team's comeback. It should be noted that both 'keepers also managed to score goals of their own!

Still got it
Offensively, everything seems to be going well for Paris Saint-Germain Handball. With 161 goals scored in five games, they have the best ratio of goals scored per game played (just over 32). The best attack in the group, that of Kielce (who have played all seven matches) has 221 goals, or 31 per appearance. Despite the fact that Paris have matches in hand, Mikky (who scored his 600th European goal with Paris in the first leg) is still one of the top scorers in the competition - second on the scoring chart with 37 goals. He is ahead of Barcelona's French right-back Dika Même (36) and only one length behind his former team-mate, who now plays for Kiel - Norway's Sander Sagosen (38).

To follow the game (kick-off at 18:45):
• Television: Eurosport Player
• At the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium: behind closed doors
• Live tweet: our official page

(Credits: J.Azouze/PSG)