Paris-Szeged preview: Finish the job

Avant-match

Winners by one goal in Hungary in the first leg (30-31), Paris meet Szeged at Coubertin this Thursday. Although Les Rouge et Bleu took a big step towards qualification at the Pick Aréna, they will have to confirm their advantage at home if they are to reach the quarter-finals of the competition. Find out everything you need to know about this EHF Champions League play-off return leg.

No room for error - on either side

Last week, the Parisians negotiated their perilous trip to Hungary perfectly (30-31). Although Szeged were on a run of five games without a win in Europe, they were still a threat. This was because, in their huge Pick Arena (8,250 seats), the Szeged fans made a lot of noise in an attempt to disrupt the capital club's plans - but to no avail. Solid and united, Paris scored a hugely important win ahead of the return leg. However, with only a one-goal lead, the gap is almost insignificant. Yahia Omar was under no illusions after the match, stating that they "will have to give everything to go through".

With their backs to the wall, Szeged will approach this match determined to win. Michael Apelgren's team is determined to end a bad run of form on both the continental and domestic stages. Having fallen behind by as many as four goals in the second half, the Hungarians made no secret of their enthusiasm when they scored their final goal at the end of the match, reducing the deficit to one. This was a sign of hope for the Magyars, who will once again be looking to rely on Europe's top scorer, Mario Sostaric.

Opposition strengths

In the first leg, Szeged were able to count on a full squad to challenge our Rouge et Bleu. In goal, the duo of Roland Mikler and Tobias Thulin gave the capital club a hard time, stopping three of Paris' eight penalty throws. In defence, two well-known faces took their places on the right flank: former Aix player Imanol Garcienda and Norwegian international Magnus Rod, who already faced Paris in the Kolstad shirt last season, are alternated by coach Michael Apelgren.

On the opposite flank is the first pillar of this Hungarian squad: Richard Bodo, a Szeged man for the last nine years. The Hungarian left-back, who boasts 50 goals on the continental stage so far this season, forms a complementary duo with former Montpellier player Borut Mackovsek. In the centre, Szeged bet on a brand new duo last summer. Janus Smarason is competing with Lazar Kukic, who proved dangerous against Les Rouge et Bleu last week (6 goals).

In attack, Szeged have on the right wing none other than the top scorer in the EHF Champions League so far: Mario Sostaric. With 107 goals to his name, the Croatian allows little playing time for young hopeful Benjamin Szylagyi. On the other flank, Sebastian Frimmel is as reliable as ever and adds to the long list of dangers to watch out for, while Croatian Marin Jelenic is establishing himself as a quality alternative.
Finally, in the pivot position, it is Bence Banhidi, also in his ninth season with the club, who is the side's playmaker. With 47 goals to his name, he is definitely one to watch, even if Szeged have other options in this position. In addition to former Nantes player Jérémy Toto, the Hungarians can also rely on the experience of Russian international Gleb Kalarash.

Key stats

  • Winners in the first leg, Paris Saint-Germain have an excellent record against Szeged. In 11 meetings, the capital club have won eight times, drawn once and lost twice.
  • The capital club have only lost once in their EHF Champions League play-offs history: against Kiel in the 2005-2006 season. Since then, Les Rouge et Bleu have won six play-offs.
  • Kamil Syprzak scored eight goals in the first leg and has now scored over 700 goals in the EHF Champions League.
  • If they qualify against Szeged on Thursday, Paris will reach the EHF Champions League quarter-finals for the 13th consecutive season. No other club in Europe has done better over this period.
  • With 96 goals scored so far, Kamil Syprzak is second on the competition's scoring chart. Our pivot is therefore still in the running to retain his title of top European scorer, and the duel with Mario Sostaric, who leads the standings with 107 goals, promises to be an exciting one.

EHF Champions League Play-offs return leg fixtures.

With three matches scheduled for Wednesday, Paris or Szeged will clinch the last ticket to the quarter-finals in the final clash on Thursday. Beaten by three goals in Poland, Nantes will have to pull off a Herculean feat against Wisla Plock. The other two matches seem, on paper at least, to already be in favour of the home teams. Starting with Füchse Berlin, who will play host to Kielce with a six-goal lead following their comfortable victory in the first leg (27-33). Also in Germany, Magdeburg will play host to Dinamo Bucharest after already having done the hard part in Romania (26-30).

The last tickets for Paris - Szeged !

(Credits: E. Renard/Team Pics/PSG)