Preview: Aix - PSG Handball

News

On Thursday night, Paris Saint-Germain Handball begin their week in the south of France. Before heading to Saint-Raphaël on Sunday, Les Rouge et Bleu have a Lidl Starligue Round 22 appointment in Aix on Thursday.

Mid-table blues

Five rounds from the end of the season, Aix are comfortably installed in the top half of the table in sixth place, with nearest rivals Saint-Raphaël three points behind them. However, Jérôme Fernandez's men can't really aim much higher, as fifth-placed Chambéry have a nine-point lead over PAUC with only ten left to play for. Thus, they would need a miracle to crack the top five, and should Les Rouge et Bleu win on Thursday, the dream will be dead.

Solid defence

That the club have managed to slowly climb the ranks over the last few seasons is due in large part to the tradition of tough defending. Last season, they ended the campaign with the league's fifth-best defence with 712 goals conceded, and this time around they look set to do even better! After 21 rounds, they have conceded only 537 times (fourth in defensive rankings), with only Nîmes (32-31) and Paris (31-27) having scored more than 30 goals against them in a single match all season long. France international 'keeper Wesley Pardin has played a key role, with his 168 saves talking him to seventh on the Lidl Starligue's saves chart.

A look back at the first match

In November, Paris Saint-Germain Handball had a tough battle at the Stade Coubertin against a side not willing to give an inch (31-27). Among our opponents main attacking assists was Aymeric Minne, who at just 22 scored seven goals against Paris in a playmaker's role. Minne sits in eighth place on the Lidl Starligue's scoring chart with 104 goals for the season (a personal best). However, when the sides met earlier in the season, PAUC were up against a formidable goal scorer themselves in the form of Mikkel Hansen. The Dane helped his side to victory with 10 from 11 - one of which took him to the milestone of 900 career goals in the Lidl Starligue.

Our key stats

In terms of statistics, everything is still going extremely well for Raul Gonzalez's side. They boast the Lidl Starligue's best attack (686 goals scored) and the third-best defence (531 goals conceded) and could well be crowned Champions of France on Thursday night, should they beat Aix and should Nantes fall at home to Nîmes. Eight points would then separate Les Rouge et Bleu from their nearest rivals - with only eight points left to play for after Round 21 - and Paris have a head-to-head goal difference advantage over The H. Should Nantes and Paris both win on Thursday, the capital club would have to wait for their clash in Saint-Raphaël on Sunday, which they would also need to win in order to clinch the title.

To follow the match (Throw-off at 20:45)

• Television: beIN SPORTS 1

• Live tweet: our official page

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)