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Preview: 5 things about Tremblay - Paris

Comptes-rendus

Find out all you need to know about the derby between Paris Saint-Germain Handball and Tremblay, which takes place this Sunday as part of Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 4.

1 - Form

On their return to the top flight, Tremblay are showing that they are not here to make up the numbers. After a difficult start to their game in Toulouse (32-23), the team from the Paris region pushed Montpellier to the limit, coming close to pulling off an upset after leading at the break (30': 18-16). The Paris-region side stalled in the second half and eventually succumbed to MHB, but that was only a temporary setback. A few days later, after another high-flying first half away to Pays d'Aix, Tremblay pulled out all the stops to strike an early-season blow, handing the team from Provence their first defeat of the season (25-28) and opening up their own points tally for the season.

For their part, the capital club are showing their solidity at the start of the season and are looking to maintain the intensity they have shown in recent weeks in order to continue their unblemished run in the league. After wins over Nîmes (36-33) and Limoges (29-30), Les Rouge et Bleu recorded a benchmark victory over Dunkerque at Coubertin last week (39-31).

2 - A newcomer not to be overlooked

Three seasons after being relegated from the elite, Tremblay made a comeback this season after a superb Proligue campaign. Leaders at the end of the regular season, they ploughed through the play-offs and went on to claim the league title. Promoted does not necessarily mean inexperienced, and Tremblay exemplify this, notably thanks to the presence of veteran Cyril Dumoulin, who is as solid as ever in goal and who was named in the team of the week following his solid performance at Aix. The former French international goalkeeper will be supported by Nicolas Clair, his former team-mate at Nantes and also a former Parisian between 2005 and 2013. A number of other veterans have also been attracted to the Tremblay project, including Chambéry full-back Per Maximilliam Jonsson and, above all, Portuguese international Antonio Areia. The 34-year-old right winger has left his homeland for the first time in his career, after nine seasons with Porto. He will be able to bring with him not only his continental experience, which includes six seasons in the EHF Champions League, but also his goalscoring talents, as evidenced by the 144 times he struck last season in the Portuguese league.

3 - Mattéo Fadhuile, a talent to keep an eye on

Cherif Hamani can also count on a number of promising talents to make his team unpredictable. After another dazzling season in the ProLigue (148 goals scored), Mattéo Fadhuile (Elohim Prandi's brother) is back in the top flight with 18 goals in the first three rounds. At just 22, the centre-half, who scored a whopping 362 goals over the last two ProLiga seasons, is undoubtedly one of the players the Parisians need to keep an eye on. However, he will not be the only young talent for Raul Gonzalez and his men to watch out for - there is also Kylian Rigault, a product of their neighbours' youth academy. The 23-year-old left-back, who scored 96 goals in just 24 games for Créteil last season, is keen to continue his progress with the Seine-Saint-Denis outfit.

4 - HEAD TO HEAD

Almost four years after their last meeting in the Liqui Moly StarLigue, Parisians and Tremblaysiens will cross swords again. It's an opportunity for Les Rouge et Bleu to continue their run against the Seine-Saint-Denis outfit; the capital club have won 13 in a row since 2011. In their last meeting with Tremblay, Raul Gonzalez's men got the better of a certain Patrice Annonay, then goalkeeper for Paris' regional rivals, to win by three points at the end of a tight encounter (30-33).

5 - To follow the match

Throw-off: 16:00

Streaming: HandballTV

Social networks: Live-Tweet

(Credits: L. Valroff/PSG)