On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball return to league action with a perilous trip to Nîmes' Parnasse arena. Here's our look ahead to this Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 27 clash between two teams with everything to play for as the season draws to a dramatic close.
High stakes at all levels
Without a curious slump punctuated by six consecutive defeats between Matchdays 4 and 9 of the league season, Nîmes could undoubtedly be in contention for much better than the last qualifying place for Europe. With just one defeat in their last thirteen games, the team from the Gard region have established themselves as one of the most in-form sides of the second half of the season. Currently fifth, one point behind Toulouse, David Degouy's men can't afford to slip up with just four games to go before the end of a season that still has plenty of surprises in store. This is especially true given that Saint-Raphaël, despite going through a difficult spell (one win in their last six matches), are far from out of the running, and sit just two points behind USAM.
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Meanwhile, the capital club is still leading the race at the end of the season. Ahead of consecutive away games in the south against Nîmes and Montpellier, Paris remain three points ahead of Nantes. They will therefore need to remain focused from start to finish to come away from the Parnasse with all three points, something no team has managed to do in the league since Saint-Raphaël last November on Matchday 11 (29-33).
Les Rouge et Bleu determined to bounce back
Defeated in the Coupe de France final against Montpellier last Sunday, Raul Gonzalez and his men are determined to bounce back immediately. Despite a colourful run, marked in particular by the victory against Nantes after a crazy penalty shootout that brought Coubertin to its feet, it was ultimately the same exercise, with a happy ending for one and a cruel one for the other, that saw Montpellier get the better of our Parisians. As soon as the final whistle blew, Elohim Prandi called for his team to ‘move forward’ and spoke of the character shown by his teammates despite the ‘disappointment and frustration’ of missing out on a chance to win their first trophy of the season.
🎙️ « Il y a de la déception, de la frustration. La sensation d’être passé à côté d’un beau trophée. C’est aussi ça le sport. Notre équipe a du caractère. Il faut aller de l’avant. »
— PSG Handball (@psghand) May 19, 2025
Les mots d’Elohim Prandi après la finale de Coupe de France d’hier après-midi. pic.twitter.com/Gvb4xip2rc
200 for Luc Steins
This Sunday, at the Parnasse, Luc Steins will play his 200th game in the top flight. This milestone highlights our centre-half's importance at all of the various clubs he has played for. Named MVP of the Liqui Moly StarLigue in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Dutch international has scored 556 goals and made 605 assists since his first season in the top flight with Tremblay back in 2017. Be it with Tremblay, Toulouse, or under Raul Gonzalez in Paris since November 2020, Luc has stood out as a playmaker, winning the title of Assist Leader in the league last season. This season, the Parisian No.6 is once again leading the way with four games to go before the end of the season. This performance could help him win the MVP trophy at the Trophées LNH, as he has been nominated in the category of best centre-half of the season alongside Aymeric Minne (Nantes) and Seif Elderaa (Limoges). You can now vote for Luc and book your tickets to attend the NHL Awards, which will take place at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris on 10 June.
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Key stats
3. In 43 matches for Les Rouge et Bleu in all competitions, Yahia Omar has already found the back of the net 197 times. He is now just three goals away from reaching the 200-goal mark with Paris. He could achieve this milestone in his first season!
5. Against Limoges on Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 26, Andreas Palicka delighted the Coubertin crowd by finding the net five times, setting a new world record for a goalkeeper. This feat was added to an excellent defensive performance (16 saves), making him the undisputed MVP of Paris's 37-26 victory.
6. Kamil Syprzak, who has been with the club for six seasons, has also made a lasting impression on Parisian fans. Last season's top scorer in the league and in Europe, our Polish pivot will reach the iconic milestone of 1,500 goals with Paris if he scores six goals on Sunday.
Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 27 fixtures
Friday 23 May, 20:00
Chambéry - Chartres
Créteil - Cesson Rennes
Limoges - Istres
Saturday 24 May, 20:00
Aix - Nantes
Saturday 24 May, 20:30
Ivry - Tremblay
Saint-Raphaël - Toulouse
Sunday 25 May, 17:00
Nîmes - Paris, broadcast on BeIn Sports 3 and to be followed on our live tweet.
(Credits: E. Renard/Team Pics/PSG)