Preview: 5 things about Paris - Ivry
Back to the championship! On Saturday night, for Liqui Moly StarLigue Round 23, Paris Saint-Germain Handball contest another derby, playing host to Ivry at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.
1 - THE TABLE
With eight rounds to go, Les Rouge et Bleu are still very much on the thick of the title race. For the moment, they are second, only two points behind leaders Montpellier (who travel to the third-placed Nantes). As a reminder, the capital club will host Montpellier at the end of the month. In case of success, they could leapfrog them into top spot.
Ivry, on the other hand, seem to have done the hardest to ensure its survival. Promoted this season to the elite of French handball, they currently occupy the 13th place, with a four-point buffer ahead of the drop zone and the advantage of playing at home to all their direct rivals.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
2 - KEY STATS
The battle among the match's various goalscorer should be very interesting indeed! On the court, we will find three of the league's top ten scorers: Parisians Elohim Prandi (128 goals) and Kamil Syprzak (116) and Ivry's Mohamed Antonin (115). They are part of the attack that tops the attacking charts (Paris, with 791 units) and the side who sit 12th (652 goals for Ivry).
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
The goalkeepers are also neck and neck! USI keeper Mate Sunjic is the fourth-most effective 'keeper this season with 195 saves - but that's only nine more than Andreas Palicka (186). The Parisian and Ivry rearguards have respectively conceded 710 and 663 goals.
La parade à bout portant de Mate Sunjic face au @crmhb lors de la J1 de Liqui Moly StarLigue 😍
— US Ivry Handball (@USIvryHB) September 12, 2022
📊 13 arrêts à 37% de réussite#usivryhb #lnh pic.twitter.com/kktTTwRnSa
3 - THE RETURN OF DIDIER DINART
In addition to Robin Dourte (who came up through the Paris Saint-Germain Handball academy, where he was French Champion of the National 2), we will see another former Parisian return: Ivry coach Didier Dinart. The former France coach played in Paris during the 2012-2013 season and was even captain! At the beginning of the year, he took the reins of USI, and has led them out of the stop zone.
Didier Dinart aux commandes de sa première séance avec le groupe 🤝#usivryhb pic.twitter.com/ZStKfAimI5
— US Ivry Handball (@USIvryHB) January 10, 2023
4 - HEAD TO HEAD
The two teams will be facing each other for the 31st time in the Liqui Moly StarLigue, with the historical advantage going the way of Les Rouge et Bleu (24 wins, two draws, four losses). Note that our future opponents have never won at Coubertin! This season, Raul Gonzalez's men won the first leg (26-39), including an exceptional save by Andreas Palicka.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
5 - TO FOLLOW THE MATCH
Throw-off: 20:00
At the Stade Pierre de Coubertin: our ticket office
Television: Handball TV
Social networks: Live-tweet
La 23ème journée de #LiquiMolyStarLigue débute dès ce soir 🌩️
— Ligue Nationale de Handball (@LNHofficiel) April 6, 2023
Les enjeux ⬇️
(Credits: L. Valroff/TeamPics/PSG)