Preview: 5 things about Aix - Paris

Avant-match

It's time to get back to work! After a week-long international break, our Parisians return to action with a trip to Provence to take on Aix in their Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 10 clash.

1 - Form

Despite a solid start to the season, marked by wins over Créteil (26-25) and Cesson-Rennes (28-32) on the first two matchdays of the season, PAUC have been inconsistent over the past few months. The Provençal side notably went through a long slump, marked by four consecutive defeats, in October. However, that run came to an end last tie out, at Nîmes (27-29). Despite the inherent pressures of a derby, Aix stepped up and notched a benchmark victory over USAM. The win gave Eric Forets and his men a boost of confidence ahead of their international break and now that they have a match pn home turf in the offing, the Black and Yellows will be keen to keep the ball rolling against the Parisians.

However, capital club have been unstoppable this season, no matter the opposition. While they share top spot with Veszprém in the Champions League, Raul Gonzalez's side are alone at the top of the Liqui Moly StarLigue standings. That's because Les Rouge et Bleu have managed to maintain a perfect record on the domestic stage through nine matchdays. After ending the first third of the season with a resounding 29-23 win over Montpellier at Coubertin, Paris will now be looking to continue their fine run at Aix-en-Provence to maintain their lead at the top.

2 - A tough start for Les Rouge et Bleu

This first international break has not done the capital club any favours. With his players having to travel long distances and Elohim Prandi picking up an injury, Raul Gonzalez is going to have to put his squad to the test in the second half of November, which promises to be particularly demanding from a physical point of view. On top of having to platy four games in eleven days, the Parisians are preparing for three consecutive away games. After Aix on Sunday, Les Rouge et Bleu return to the Champions League next week. To kick off the second half of thegroup stage, Paris travel to Lisbon to take on Sporting on Wednesday. On their return to France, the Parisians will barely have time to catch their breath before heading to Savoie to take on Chambéry at Le Phare on Sunday 24 November.

3 - Jose Baznik takes on the Parisian arsenal

Pays d'Aix may have suffered a major setback in October, but the start to the season by their last line of defence, Joze Baznik, remains impressive. Back in Provence five years after his last stint with the club, the Slovenian keeper sits second on the league's saves chart. With 100 saves to his name after nine games, Baznik is ahead of everyone except Istré's Romain Mathias (114 saves). The 31-year-old goalkeeper will have his work cut out for him this weekend, however, as he will be taking on the league's best attack. With 328 goals scored, Paris have been putting on a show so far this season. This is thanks in no small part to Kamil Syprzak and Elohim Prandi, respectively third (67 goals) and sixth (59 goals) on the league's scorers chart. Raul Gonzalez may have to do without the services of the French international, but he will no doubt be able to rely on the depth of his squad to keep up the pace in attack.

4 - HEAD TO HEAD

Since their first meeting with the Provençals in September 2012, the Parisians have roundly dominated their opponents, establishing themselves as one of the southerners' biggest bête noires. In fact, the capital club have won 22 of their 24 meetings with PAUC. Les Rouge et Bleu will be looking to continue their dominance and add a twelfth win in a row against their opponents this evening to maintain their lead at the top of the league.

5 - To follow the match

Throw-off: 17:00

Television: BeIn Sports 2

Social networks: live-tweet

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