Paris Saint-Germain's EHFCL opponents: RK Eurofarm Pelister

News

Among Paris Saint-Germain Handball's seven opponents in the forthcoming EHF Champions League Group A campaign are Pelister. Find out more about the North Macedonian club.

HISTORY

Over the past two years, Pelister have been making their mark on the European handball scene. It is not easy to make an impression in an empire dominated by the great Vardar Skopje and their 14 Macedonian league titles, but the Green and Whites are beginning to shake up the national hierarchy. After winning their first title in 2023, they did so again last season. On the European stage, the Macedonians returned to the EHF Champions League last year after an 18-year absence.

SEASON 23-24

Last season, Pelister won their second consecutive league title (and the second in their history). Despite losing to Vardar (their only defeat of the season), the Green and Whites maintained their lead and finished as champions, two points clear of their runners-up.

In the EHF Champions League, the campaign was more complicated. Despite some fine performances, the North Macedonians failed to score a single point during the group phase and finished bottom of Group A. However, they came very close to holding off Kiel (20-23) as well as toppling Szeged (27-28) and Zagreb (22-23).

KEY PLAYERS

One of Pelister's key players from last season is Uros Borzas (formerly of Toulouse). The Serbian right-back finished as his team's top scorer in the Champions League with 48 goals, including 11 at Kolstad (34-27). The pivot, Zharko Peshevski, did not finish far behind with 43 goals. However, the keeper who made the most saves, Urban Lesjak (76), has made the move to Trebnje.

TRANSFERS

It has been a hectic summer for Pelister, with a host of new arrivals. Among the many arrivals is goalkeeper Nikola Mitrevski, who returns to his homeland (and club) after several years at Porto. France has also involved in a number of transfers, with Rudy Seri leaving for Caen, while Ilija Abutovic (Chartres) and Filip Ivic (Chambéry) left the hexagon to join the Balkan club.

HEAD TO HEAD

Paris and Pelister have met four times in their European history. The first was in 2001, with Les Rouge et Bleu winning 33-30 and the North Macedonians 29-26. The next round took place last season, with two wins for the capital club (31-26; 31-25).

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)