Preview: 5 things about Szeged - Paris

News

The EHF Champions League is back! On Thursday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball kick off their European campaign with a tough test away to Hungarian side Szeged in their 8,000-capacity Pick Arena.

1 - THE START OF A NEW COMPETITION

This is already the fourth different competition for Les Rouge et Bleu since the 2023-24 season kicked off. So far, they are on a perfect run across the board, with wins in the Coupe de France, the Trophée des Champions and last week's Liqui Moly StarLigue. This time, Raul Gonzalez's men move on to European action with the resumption of the Champions League.

2 - KENT, DOMINIK, LUKA FACE FORMER SIDES

There has been some movement in the Hungarian ranks this summer. Among them was the departure of Kent Robin Tonnessen. The Norwegian right-back spent two seasons with Szeged before signing for Paris. For his part, Dominik Mathé is returning to his homeland, three years after leaving Balatonfüredi KSE to join Norwegian club Elverum. Conversely, Croatian right-back Luka Stepancic (Parisian between 2016 and 2019) will face his former side.

3 - A TOUGH GROUP

Although the European campaign kicks off with a big clash for Les Rouge et Bleu, the rest of the campaign promises to be just as interesting. Paris, who are in Group A, will also have to contend with Kielce, Kiel, Aalborg and Zagreb, as well as two first-time opponents in Norwegian side Kolstad and Macedonian side Pelister. As a reminder, the top two teams in the group qualify directly for the quarter-finals.

4 - HEAD TO HEAD

Szeged and Paris are meeting for the ninth time in the Champions League. So far, the record has gone in our team's favour, with five wins to two (and one draw). These encounters include the victorious double-header in 2017, in the quarter-finals of the competition.

5 - HOW TO FOLLOW THE MATCH

Throw-off: 18:45
Television: Eurosport 2
Social networks: Live-Tweet

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)