Preview: 5 things about Paris - Dijon

News

On Friday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball play host to Dijon at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin as part of Liqui Moly Starligue Round 9. Here's what you need to know before this fixture throws off.

1 - THE TABLE

After eight rounds of the league season, the capital club are still perfect and top of the Liqui Moly StarLigue, level on points with Montpellier. Before the break, Les Rouge et Bleu secured a valuable win away to Chambéry (26-34) and will be hoping to maintain their momentum against a team that is still finding its feet at the start of the season.

The Parisians and Burgundians are at opposite ends of the table, with Dijon still looking for their first win of the season. The newly promoted side have two points thanks to draws against Créteil and Ivry, but Ulrich Chaduteaud's men will certainly be keen to get a result at Coubertin, something that could kick-start their season.

2 - BACK IN ACTION

After a week's hiatus for the first international break of the season, the Liqui Moly Starligue is back in action. Les Rouge et Bleu will play seven matches between now and 20 December, before taking another month-and-a-half break to prepare for and contest EHF Euro 2024. Between now and then, the Parisians have a number of important fixtures in store.

In the league, they will host Montpellier at Coubertin on 26 November in a summit clash that could be very important when it comes to the final reckoning in May. On the European stage, too, the trips to Kiel (30 November) and Aalborg (7 December) will be particularly exciting, not forgetting one of the last fixtures of the year when they play host to Saran for the Coupe de France Round of 16 on 13 December.

 

3 - KEY STATS

After eight league games, the capital club is still to slip up this season. While the team's collective brilliance has been impressive, three Les Rouge et Bleu players have stood out in particular. With an average of 7.75 goals per game, Kamil Syprzak tops the goalscoring charts. With 62 goals, the Polish international is just ahead of Dunkirk's Tom Pelayo (61 goals). In terms of assists, Luc Steins leads the way with 42, seven more than any other player. Raul Gonzalez's men are a force to be reckoned with offensively, but their defensive solidity is also making a difference. With 37.13% of shots saved, Jannick Green is the most effective goalkeeper in the league this season.

For their part, Dijon have been struggling - thanks in large part to a lack of efficiency. They have lost the Liqui Moly StarLigue's second-highest number of balls - 69! - so far this season. Ulrich Chaduteaud and his men can, however, be satisfied with the goal-keeping duo of Wassim Helal and Manuel Gaspar. Between them, the Dijon keepers have made 109 saves this season, the second-highest total behind Paris Saint-Germain, who have 124.

4 - HEAD TO HEAD

With Dijon returning to the Liqui Moly Starligue for the first time since the 2013-14 season, they have not had the opportunity to face Paris on many occasions in their history. Les Rouge et Bleu are currently on a perfect run against the Burgundy club, with victory in both their meetings to date.

5 - HOW TO FOLLOW THE MATCH

Throw-off: 20:00
At the Stade Pierre de Coubertin: Our ticket office
Broadcast: HandballTV
Social networks: Live-tweet

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)