Introducing Celje

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Paris Saint-Germain Handball now know who awaits them in the Velux EHF Champions League group stage. Today our series of portraits of Paris Saint-Germain Handball's Group B opponents continues with Celje!

Celje in a few words

Celje have a rich Velux EHF Champions League history and are one of just two teams in Group B (along with Flensburg) who have won the competition in the past. That was back in 2003-2004, when they beat Flensburg 34-28 in the final. At the time, their main hitman was Siarhei Rutenka, who bagged an impressive 11 goals against the German side. In domestic competition, the Blue and Yellows have also proven extremely successful, winning no fewer than 22 league titles, including five in a row (and counting) since 2014.

 

2017-2018

The 2017-2018 European campaign was a complicated one for Branko Tamse's players. In Group B alongside the Rouge et Bleus, Celje battled hard and won some tough matches in their bid to qualify, notably toppling 2016 European Champions Kielce (31-27). But in the end it wasn't enough and celje ended up in seventh place, three points shy of lowest-ranked qualifier Meshkov Brest.


 
Key players
Known as a hotbed of young talent, the Slovenian side also has a number of experienced names. Among them is Igor Anic, no stranger to French handball fans after helping France to become European Champions in 2014 and World Champions in 2016. The 31-year-old pivot plied his trade in the Lidl StarLigue for several seasons, representing Montpellier, Cesson-Rennes, Nantes and finally Saran. The Parisians will also be up against left-back Ziga Mlakar, who scored a club-top 51 Velux EHF Champions League goals last season and of course the redoubtable Marguc Gal (48 goals).


 
Best performances
The first meeting between Celje and Paris dates back to January 1997. In Asnières, our players fell by six goals (20-26), but 20 years later, the capital club took revenge by winning their double-headers in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. Last season, at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Nikola Karabatic and his teammates claimed a stylish 32-27 win, with German winger Uwe Gensheimer shooting clinical 7 from 7.

 

Fixtures

Paris – Celje: Round 2

Celje – Paris: Round 13

 

Previous introductions
Nantes

(Credits: PSG)