Paris-Toulouse preview: Keep up the pace at Coubertin

Avant-match

A few days after their show of strength against Chambéry in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France (39-27), Paris are set to return to Coubertin for another high-profile fixture, this time against Toulouse. Find out everything you need to know about this Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 23 clash.

End-of-season challenges abound

As the weeks have ticked by, Les Rouge et Bleu have maintained an intense pace in the league. Frustrated by Nantes in December and Dunkerque in February, the capital club have since been in perfect form. Better still, they have been imperious against direct rivals. After beating Nantes (34-28) last month, the capital club also shone in Saint-Raphaël (30-39). Now, another European contender stands in the way of our Parisians, and they will have to be serious if they are to extend their dominant form.

Immersed in the final sprint for the European places, Toulouse will be keen to repeat the feat they achieved against Nantes a few months ago (35-29). Le Fénix proved that they were capable of beating the best and they will doubtless go all-out to do the same on Sunday. Having come close to causing another sensation in the EHF European League against Porto (defeated 58-63 over the two matches), Toulouse are now 100% focused on their goal of returning to the continental stage next season. Defeated by The H last week, Toulouse held tight in fifth, still provisionally qualified for Europe, but saw Nîmes come back to within just one point.

Make a good week an amazing one

On Wednesday, the capital club moved closer to one of their major objectives this season: regaining the Coupe de France, a trophy that has eluded Les Rouge et Bleu since 2022. After their victory against Chambéry - which came thanks to perfect performancesfrom Elohim Prandi (9 goals) and Yahia Omar (6 goals) - Paris will be in the final at the AccorArena on 18 May (17:00), facing Montpellier. A familiar fixture at this stage of the competition, as the two teams have already battled it out for the trophy five times. With the euphoria of this qualification now over, our Rouge et Bleu are keen to refocus on the championship in order to move closer to another major objective: the club's 12th French championship title.

Luc Steins in peak form

For Luc, every week is the same as the last! Since the victory in Saint-Raphaël (30-39) on Matchday 18, our Dutch centre-half has not missed a single shot. With 20 goals from as many attempts, Luc is making a strong impression and celebrating his recent extension until 2029 in style. Against Toulouse, his former club, he could even reach the milestone of 400 Liquid Moly StarLeague goals for Paris. In fact, our No.6 is now just two goals away from reaching this new milestone with the capital club.

Key stats

  • A true classic of the French championship, the match between Paris and Toulouse on Sunday will be the 39th in the history of the two clubs. So far, the record is largely in favour of the capital club, who have won 31 of their duels against Toulouse, with three draws and five defeats. At home, Les Rouge et Bleu have 17 wins, one draw and one defeat.
  • 14. Paris are unbeaten in their last 14 home matches against Toulouse (13 wins, one draw).
  • 184. Having played for Toulouse before joining Paris in December 2020, Luc Steins tops the Liqui Moly StarLigue assists standings with 184 assists already this season.
  • In the first leg, Ferran Solé was perfect (9 from 9) to lead Les Rouge et Bleu to victory against Le Fénix (28-31).

Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 23 fixtures

Friday 11 April

20:00: Pays d'Aix - Ivry

20:00: Montpellier - Créteil

20:00: Istres - Chartres

20:00: Dunkerque - Cesson Rennes

20:00: Limoges - Nantes

20:00: Nîmes - Tremblay

Saturday 12 April

20:00: Saint-Raphaël - Chambéry

Sunday 13 April

17:00: Paris - Toulouse, broadcast on BeIn Sports 3 and to be followed on our live-tweet.

(Credits: L. Valroff/PSG)