Preview: PSG Handball - Zagreb

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On Sunday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball play their final match of the Velux EHF Champions League group stage. Their objective is clear: to hang onto second place in Group A with a win over Zagreb at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.

The stakes
The stakes are diametrically opposed for the two teams. Following Celje's midweek defeat at Flensburg (29-26), the Croatians, currently in seventh place, are still hopeful of qualifying for the next round, but they will have to win at Coubertin in order to overtake the Slovenians. For their part, Les Rouge et Bleu will be looking to consolidate second place, for which a win will do the job. But less may also be enough: if Szeged lose to group leaders Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, the capital club will be definitively in front of the Hungarians on head-to-head goal difference.

The unstoppable Horvat
While the Zagreb attack may not necessarily have been at its best in this 2019-2020 European campaign (see below), they do have several players capable of causing a lot of problems for opposing defences - notably Zlatko Horvat. The emblematic Croatian left-winger is the top scorer in his team (with 50 goals) despite his 35 years of age. Last week, he was one of the driving forces behind Zagreb's success, scoring seven times against Aalborg (31-30) to keep his side's qualification hopes alive. In the first leg in Paris, he also shone, scoring six goals.

A look back at the first match
The paths of Zagreb and Paris crossed earlier this season - in the opening round of the competition. In Croatia, Raul Gonzalez's men had their work cut out for them (29-37). The capital club side were able to rely on the attacking efficiency of their strikers, such as Kim Ekdahl du Rietz's 7 from 10, Kamil Syprzak's 6 from 6 and Sander Sagosen's 5 from 5. The hosts had no cause to be ashamed in this respect either, as five of their players finished 100 per cent successful against goalkeepers Vincent Gerard and Rodrigo Corrales.

Key stats
The difference between the teams in the overall standings is also reflected in the stats. The Parisian attack is the third best in the competition and Gonzalez's men re one of four teams to have passed the 400-unit mark (407). Conversely, Zagreb's attacking line is the least likely to find the net in the upper groups (317). The Croatians are doing a little better defensively, having conceded just 382 goals in 13 games (better than the likes of Celje, Elverum, Vardar and Zaporozhye). Once again, however, Paris are more solid, having only conceded 363 times.

To follow the game (throw-off at 17:00)
- Television: beIN SPORTS 3
- At the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium: get your tickets on our official website
- Live tweet: our official page

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)