Preview: 5 things about Paris - Kielce

Avant-match

On Thursday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball play host to Kielce in their all-important EHF Champions League Matchday 12 clash at Coubertin. Find out all you need to know about this top-of-the-table encounter.

1 - THE STATE OF PLAY

The capital club made a perfect return to the EHF Champions League on Wednesday, beating Eurofarm Pelister 25-31 in Northern Macedonia. It was a victory that enabled them to close the gap on their impending opponents: with three matchdays remaining in the group stage, the Kielce and Paris respectively occupy third and fourth place in Group A.

Kielce, for their part, have some regrets after drawing at the buzzer with Kiel last time out. Having narrowly lost 26-25 in Szeged before the international break, the Poles will be keen to push clear of Raul Gonzalez's men to keep alive their hopes of direct qualification for the quarter-finals of the competition.

2 - PENALTIES: THE KEY TO THE MATCH?

The headline clash of EHF Champions League Matchday 12 could well come down to tiny details. It will be important to keep a close eye on what happens from the penalty line - on both sides. Kamil Syprzak is the fourth-highest scorer in the competition with 64 goals, and one of the most reliable penalty takers. With 31 goals from the 7m line this campaign, the Polish international is second only to Magdeburg's Omar Ingi Magnusson.

However, our pivot will have to face the wall of Andreas Wolff, who has established himself as a specialist in the saving of penalties. With ten saves at a 50% clip, nobody is out-performing the German international. This record makes the Polish team one of the toughest to score penalties against, with only their neighbours Wisla Plock's goalkeeping pair doing better (12 saves from Mirko Alilovic and Marcel Jastrzebski). It remains to be seen whether Paris - with the fourth-best attack in the EHF Champions League this season - can manage to dent Kielce's average at an already sold-out Stade Pierre de Coubertin.

3 - THE OTHER MATCHES

Among the other matches in Group A, Kiel play host to Eurofarm Pelister. The Germans will be looking to maintain their group lead against the Macedonians, who are still stuck on zero points in Europe this season. Runners-up to Kiel and one point ahead of Paris, Aalborg have the chance to confirm their place in the finals if they beat Szeged, currently fifth with 13 points, at home. Finally, the Match Of The Week pits Kolstad against Zagreb in a game that could prove decisive. Second-bottom in the group with nine points, the Norwegians cannot afford to lose at home to the Croatians, who trail them by just one point with three games to go in this group stage.

4 - HEAD TO HEAD

Over the seasons, the rivalry between Paris and Kielce has become an EHF Champions League classic. The two sides have crossed swords 12 times, half of which came in the final stages of the competition. While Kielce have emerged victorious from their last two encounters, the capital club remain unbeaten on home soil, having won all four of their head-to-head meetings with the Poles at Coubertin.

5 - TO FOLLOW THE MATCH

Throw-off: 20:45

Television: Eurosport

Social networks: Live-tweet

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)