Paris Saint-Germain Handball travel to the Palais des Sports Robert-Oubron in Créteil for their Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 6 clash on Sunday. Find out all you need to know about this latest derby for Raul Gonzalez's men.
1 - Form
With just two points on the board after five rounds, Créteil have been on the back foot for the last few weeks. The Paris-region club sit 12th, but only goal difference is keeping them ahead of Chambéry, Tremblay and Cesson-Rennes. Only Ivry, still stuck on zero points, have a worse record than the aforementioned teams. However, the season did get off to an encouraging start for Christophe Esparre's men. After losing by a single goal to Aix in a thrilling match on the opening day of the season (26-25), Créteil caused a sensation by beating Chambéry (33-29) in their first home game - but went on to suffer consecutive defeats against Nîmes (30-21), Chartres (27-34) and Toulouse (37-30).
Meanwhile, Les Rouge et Bleu share top spot in the Liqui Moly StarLigue with Toulouse, the only other team to have maintained a perfect record over the first five rounds. After facing local rivals Tremblay (32-40) and Ivry (39-25), Raul Gonzalez's men are about to embark on a third derby in a row, concluding their tour of the Île-de-France region for the first half of the season. It's the perfect opportunity to continue their run of victories and build further confidence before returning to EHF Champions League action against Dinamo Bucharest at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin next Wednesday. A match to celebrate by experiencing L'After de Coub, not to be missed under any circumstances!
2 - Party time in Paris
Despite a calendar that does them no favours, the Parisians are showing exemplary professionalism and seem to be getting stronger with every game. Since their28-41 loss to Veszprém in Hungary, the capital club have won five in a row and have shown no mercy to opposing defences. Be it in the league against Dunkerque (39-31), Tremblay (32-40) and Ivry (39-25), or in the Champions League against Fredericia (38-30), our Parisians have been putting on a show early in the season. Their performances have been reflected in what Les Rouge et Bleu have been saying recently. After the big win over Ivry at Coubertin, Raul Gonzalez admitted that the group has been "feeling better and better". Kent Robin Tonnesen, meanwhile, revealed that the capital club's win over Fredericia on Wednesday had seen them "go from strength to strength", moving them to within a point of Group A leaders Sporting CP, on seven points. All in all, it's a great time to be at Coubertin, and we hope this run of form continues as the major fixtures roll in during the weeks before the first international break in mid-November.
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3 - Watch out for Créteil's team spirit
Créteil may have had a mixed start to the season in terms of results, but there are nonetheless a number of areas in which they can be satisfied. The strength of Christophe Esparre's squad seems to lie in its collective ability, with three players having already scored twenty goals this season. At the heart of this formidable collective is Dorde Dekic, third-top scorer (35) after five games behind Ian Tarrafeta (37) and Luc Steins (42). As well as having a close-knit squad that know each other well, Créteil can also boast the most disciplined team in the Liqui Moly StarLigue after a month of competition. With just two temporary exclusions in the first five rounds, the Val-de-Marne outfit play a fluid, non-aggressive game - which can sometimes prove to be a weakness. Créteil seem to be lacking in attacking edge, with only Saint-Raphaël (133) having scored fewer goals than the side from the Paris region (136) so far this campaign.
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4 - HEAD TO HEAD
Sunday sees the 31st meeting between Créteil and Paris. Les Rouge et Bleus' record against their neighbours from the Val-de-Marne is largely to their advantage. In fact, the capital club have won 19 of their meetings and lost just eight. This is an advantage that is growing with each passing season, as Raul Gonzalez's men are on a 12-game winning streak against Créteil. Last season, the Parisians gave a perfect account of themselves on Matchday 29, winning in style at the Palais des Sports Robert-Oubron (28-41) to boost their confidence before being crowned French champions a week later against Pays d'Aix on the final matchday.
5 - To follow the match
Throw-off: 16:00
Streaming: HandballTV
Social networks: Live-Tweet
(Credits: L. Valroff/PSG)