Dimanche après-midi, le Paris Saint-Germain Handball prend part à la 22ème journée de Liqui Moly StarLigue, à l’occasion de la réception d’Aix, au Stade Pierre de Coubertin. Mathieu Grébille s’est exprimé avant la rencontre et souhaite garder l’invincibilité en championnat des Rouge et Bleu.
On Sunday, you play host to one of your nearest rivals, Aix. Is it for you one of the last big league matches of the season?
"Not really. We still have to play host to Montpellier. Several complicated away games also await us. We will have to go to Toulouse and Saint-Raphaël. The season is far from over. We can't afford to relax, because the championship is strong and anyone can fall. Every match will be complicated."
Choc à #Coubertin ! Pour tout savoir sur ce #PSGAIX 👉 https://t.co/phM2zQB6em pic.twitter.com/l0zMw4hLKv
— PSG Handball (@psghand) April 3, 2022
Will that be the case against Aix?
"We turned in a great performance in the first match (24-35). I think they will be keen to do better than they did last time. They also have second place in in their sights. I think it's a real objective for them. It's up to us to show that at home, it's not possible to beat us."
With less than three months to go before the end of the season, you have already used up al to of energy. How are you feeling?
"I twisted my ankle a bit during the training camp with France on a rather silly action. So it shows that there is physical and mental fatigue. But this is the case for all teams at this stage of the competition. Especially for those who have been playing two games a week since the beginning of the season. It's a marathon! We've done a lot of work to get to this point and we're very invested. For the moment, we are consistent and we must continue in that vein. The hardest part is still to come, but we're coming into this final stretch in good shape."
Mikkel Hansen will unfortunately be absent until the end of the season. How does the squad feel about this news?
"It's a big loss for us. He is an emblematic player of the Club, and the oldest. It is sad to say that he will finish his adventure in Paris in this way. We wanted to go for the EHF Champions League with him. Unfortunately, this is part of the life of a top athlete. There is never a good time to get injured. We wish him a good recovery and that his rehabilitation goes as well as possible."
But Elohim is back!
"Yes, to make up for this bad news, Elo is coming back. It makes us feel good! The season is long and we need everyone. He went through a particular ordeal and he is back with a lot of desire. He will show it on the field!
Watch the video of our interview with Mathieu Grébille here.
(Credits: A. Gadoffre/TeamPics/PSG)