Preview: Créteil - PSG Handball

News

On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball make the short trip to face promoted neighbours Créteil in Lidl StarLigue Round 10 action.

Extreme Derby
This derby pits two teams with extremely divergent early-season fortunes against each other. After nine matches, Créteil have won only one game, with one draw and seven defeats - an unsatisfactory record that has them stuck to the foot of the table. In contrast, Les Rouge et Bleu could not have dreamed of a better start. With nine wins as many games, they dominate the standings and, following last Thursday's win over Montpellier (35-30), they enjoy a six-point lead atop the Lidl StarLigue standings.

Sissoko: Créteil's danger man
While Créteil's overall results have been cause for concern, some individuals are standing out - as is the case with Boïba Sissoko. The 25-year-old left-winger has made a very good start in Lidl StarLigue this season, scoring 47 goals to figure among the league's top six sharpshooters after nine matches. In mid-September, when his team clinched a surprise win away to Nîmes in Round 3 (29-35), he turned in a personal-best performance in the France's top flight, finding the net ten times from 11 attempts. Despite his team's defeats, he also shone brightly against Nantes (9 from 12) and Chambéry (8 from 10).

A look back at recent matches
As the USCHB spent the last two seasons in the Proligue, their last confrontation with the capital club dates back to March 2017. It was a close match at the Palais des Sports Robert-Oubron and our team had to wait until the last few seconds to secure the two points (28-29). On that day, Les Rouge et Bleu had to contend with 16 saves from current Ivry 'keeper Mate Sunjic as well as Victor Alonso's seven goals. For their part, the Parisians relied on two former captains - Daniel Narcisse (five goals) and Thierry Omeyer (11 saves) to get the job done. Historically, the record is very tight, with our team notching nine wins, three draws and eight defeats against their near neighbours.

Key stats
Créteil's delicate start to the season is reflected in their stats. On the eve of Matchday 10, their attack is ranked 12th in the division (232 goals scored), as is their defence (261 goals conceded). Paris Saint-Germain Handball have Lidl StarLigue's eighth most effective rear-guard (246), but above all the most prolific offensive line in the league, with 301 goals (at an average of 33 per game). Individually, Luc Abalo is only two goals shy of the 500-mark in the Lidl StarLigue, while Sander is just six goals away from his 200th in France's top flight.

To follow the match (kick-off at 20:30)
- Television: beIN SPORTS Max 5
- Live tweet: our official page

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)