Preview: 5 things about Istres - Paris

News

Only two days after their European success against Zagreb (40-31), Paris Saint-Germain Handball are already returning to action! On Saturday evening, they travel to Istres for their Liqui Moly StarLigue Round 5 clash.

1 - THE TABLE

The season has not necessarily started in the best way for Istres. They are currently at the bottom of the table, with four defeats from as many games. However, they have sometimes come close to getting off the mark, as was the case when Limoges came calling.

Les Rouge et Bleu are seventh. With three wins and one loss, they are only two points behind leaders Nantes. If they win on Saturday, they could move closer to the top.

2 - KEY STATS

Istres, the bottom club, are having some difficulties shining in terms of statistics. Gilles Derot's men have the least prolific attack in our championship, with 107 goals scored. In this area, Paris are fifth with 131 goals, including 29 for Kamil Syprzak and 24 for Elohim Prandi. 

In the defensive sector, the capital club is also doing well. They have only seen their nets shake 112 times (only Montpellier with 103 and Cesson-Rennes with 93, are doing better), thanks in particular to 40 saves from Andreas Palicka. Istres are also doing well. With just 131 goals conceded, they have the eighth-best defence in France. Trained in Paris, Clément Gaudin is the 'keeper to watch, with 30 saves so far this season.

3 - A REUNION

Clément will therefore be reunited with a player he knows very well: Adama Keita. The Istres 'keeper and the Parisian left-winger played together for several seasons with our reserve team. With the latter, they were crowned 2017 French National 2 Champions. A few months later, the two players accompanied the professional squad to Slovenia for its pre-season training camp.

4 - HEAD TO HEAD 

This is the 24th meeting of these two sides and the historic trend is clear, with the first 23 having generally been to the advantage of Les Rouge et Bleu, with 17 wins, three draws and as many defeats. They are on an 11-game winning streak (12 matches unbeaten) in the fixture.

5 - TO FOLLOW THE MATCH

Throw-off: 20:00
Television: Handball TV
Social networks: Live-tweet

(Credits: L. Valroff/Team Pics/PSG)