Preview: 5 things about Sporting - Paris

On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain handball kick off the second half of their EHF Champions League group campaign with a first-ever trip to face Sporting CP. Here's our preview...

1 - Form

Despite two consecutive defeats in the Champions League, Sporting are still in sparkling form on the domestic stage. Winners of the Portuguese Supercup and with a perfect record in the league after 12 rounds, the Lisbon giants are determined to retain their domestic crown. In the Champions League, they surprised all their rivals by winnning their first three, including masterful displays against Fredericia (19-37) and above all Veszprém (39-30). In the end, however, the busy schedule seemed to prove fatal for Ricardo Costa's men, who began to lose ground as the weeks went by. The draw at Pelister (24-24), which gave the Macedonian club their first-ever point in the Champions League, had the effect of a sledgehammer blow on the Portuguese side. Having bounced back against Berlin (35-33), Sporting then relinquished their leadership position before the international break with back-to-back defeats away to Bucharest (33-29) and then Les Rouge et Bleu (30-28). This downward spiral handed the Parisians the opportunity to overtake Ricardo Costa's men, who are now three points behind Raul Gonzalez's side in fourth.

For their part, the capital club are keeping up the pace, showing a fighting spirit to win in every game despite the difficult conditions and constant pressure. Since their only Champions League defeat of the season, in Veszprém (41-28), the Parisians have gone on a run of 13 consecutive wins in all competitions. Unbeaten leaders in the league and co-leaders in the Champions League, Les Rouge et Bleu are in fine form and made a strong return to action after the international break with a victory away to Aix on Sunday (26-28). It was a spirited victory despite several key absentees, proving that Raul Gonzalez has a squad packed with talent to call on.

2 - Les Rouge et Bleu sparkling at the half-way stage

At the end of the first half of the 2024-2025 group stage, the capital club are more than ever in contention to finish in the top two places in their group. Such a performance would allow them to qualify directly for the quarter-finals of the competition, avoiding the always thorny play-offs. The Parisians can count on the good form of several of their players, including Kamil Syprzak, the competition's top scorer with 53 goals. Against Sporting, Raul Gonzalez will have to be even more resourceful as he will have to do without Luc Steins and Elohim Prandi, the side's two top scorers after seven rounds and also the two most decisive players so far. As was the case in Aix, the Parisian coach will no doubt call on the quality of the Parisian youth academy, as evidenced by the fine performances from Wallem Peleka and Noa Narcisse in Provence.


3 - An unprecedented away trip

Last matchday, the capital club faced Sporting for the first time in their history. This was Les Rouge et Bleu's second new opponent in this European campaign, after Fredericia, the only newcomer to this 2024-2025 edition. Raul Gonzalez's men came out on top in their first match against the Lisbon outfit (30-28). In a hard-fought encounter, Raul Gonzalez's men showed courage and self-sacrifice to secure a crucial win. The task will be no easier this Wednesday, as the Portuguese are playing in a veritable fortress. Unbeaten at home in all competitions since 28 February 2023, a run that stretches back 44 matches, Sporting are even holding their own against Europe's top teams. On Wednesday, in front of an ever-growing crowd, Ricardo Costa's men will be looking to add a 39th consecutive home win in all competitions.

4 - The other Group A fixtures

Simultaneously with the match between Sporting and our Parisians, Pelister will be looking to build on their first ever Champions League win over the Danes before the break when they take on Fredericia. On Thursday, Veszprém play host to Plock in a match of extremes. While the Hungarians have just one defeat to their name after seven games and are joint top of the group with Les Rouge et Bleu, Plock are in dire straits, with a victory over Pelister providing little satisfaction. Lastly, Berlin will be looking to end a run of three consecutive defeats on the continental stage against Dinamo Bucharest, who trail Paris in third.

5 - To follow the match

Throw-off: 20:45

Television: Eurosport

Social networks: Live-tweet

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