Preview: PSG Handball - Toulouse

News

On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball will face Toulouse at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin for their Lidl StarLigue Round 3 clash. If they win, Les Rouge et Bleu have the opportunity to consolidate top spot on the table against a team who are only two points behind them.

An up-and-down start
Two wins, one draw: that's how the Fenix have done so far this season. Philippe Gardent's men struck a big blow at the opening day of the championship by defeating Saint-Raphaël. After a very good first period (30': 20-12) and a more complicated second, it was the new recruit from Chambéry, Nori Benhalima, who clinched his team the win with a masterful shot on the buzzer (33-32). Unfortunately, they were unable to back the win up in Tremblay in Round 2 (31-22) but returned to winning ways against Dunkerque (31-28). This yo-yoing beginning the campaign has left them in fifth place with four points.

The striker, the future Parisian
The man who has distinguished himself most in the Toulouse squad so far this season is a man who will be leaving the club at the end of the season. And for good reason: he will join Paris Saint-Germain Handball in the summer! This man in question is the Spanish right-winger, Ferran Sole Sala. Winner of the 2018 European Championship with La Roja and voted best player at the last two major international competitions, he also shines in his club handball in France. Indeed, he is currently the top scorer in our league with 21 goals. On the opening day, he scored 8 form 8 against Saint-Raphaël. At 27 years of age, the 1.93m left-footer is one of the Lidl StarLigue's top scorers, as evidenced by his 355 goals in 73 games (in just over three seasons).

A successful transfer window
This summer, the Toulouse staff worked well behind the scenes to build a competitive squad for the 2019-2020 season. They had to compensate for the departures of Yassine Idrissi (Limoges) and Alvaro Ruiz Sanchez (Wisla Plock). To do this, they opted for several players who already knew the French league well: Dutch playmaker Luc Steins (1.73m), who signed from Tremblay, where he scored 79 goals in 45 appearances, and Cesar Augusto Oliveira de Almeida, the only import from a foreign league, who signed from Granollers (Spain). Rémi Leventoux (Pontault), Pierre Soudry (Dunkerque), Nori Benhalima (Chambéry) and Jef Letens (Cesson), bolstered an already very talented squad, in which we find, among others, Markus Olsson, Pierrick Chelle and Gael Tribillon.

A look back at recent matches
Last season, Raul Gonzalez's players won their two matches against Toulouse. First at Coubertin in mid-October, when they were able to rely on eight-goal hauls from Nedim Remili and Mikkel Hansen to make the difference (36-30), while Sole Sala also hit eight - at 100%. In February, our team once again came out on top, this time at the Palais des Sports André-Brouat. In front of their Ultras, who had made the trip to the Haut-Garonne, Les Rouge et Bleu won (30-35), thanks in particular to nine more goals from Nedim. It is also interesting to note that in 14 direct confrontations between the sides in the French capital, Paris have lost only once, while winning 13. The overall head-to-head record stands at 22 victories, for two draws and four setbacks for the capital club.

To follow the match (kick-off at 21:00)
- Television: beIN SPORTS 3
- At the Stade Pierre de Coubertin: get your tickets on our official website
- Live tweet: our official page

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)