Les Rouge et Bleu seem to have stepped up their game this week. After a convincing pre-season, which counter-intuitively led to a false start against Montpellier in the Trophée des Champions (23-29), the capital club regained its confidence in the Coupe de France. Away to Caen, Stefan Madsen's men turned in a masterful performance to dominate the Vikings, who were Proligue play-off finalists last June (31-43).
Meanwhile, it was a turbulent summer for the club from the English Channel. Defeated in six of their seven friendly matches (against Paris, Porto, Toulouse, Sporting Lisbon, Créteil and Chambéry), Dunkerque got another scare when official competition resumed on Tuesday. Facing Sarrebourg in the first round of Coupe de France, the Northerners had to dig deep to come back from a five-goal deficit before claiming victory on the Proligue side's home turf (34-36).
Since the last official match, back in June, Paris Saint-Germain Handball has undergone significant changes. On Saturday, the capital club's supporters will be introduced to Stefan Madsen, who will be coaching his first official home game. The new Rouge et Bleu coach revealed on Tuesday evening that he was "eager to play at Coubertin" after the Coupe de France victory in Caen (31-43). He will not be the only one making his debut at the Porte de Saint-Cloud arena, as several new faces will also be defending the Parisian colours out on the court.
Having lost their two top scorers, Dunkerque are preparing to start a new chapter this season. To compensate for the loss of Tom Pelayo, last season's top scorer in the Liqui Moly StarLigue (241 goals), and Cornelius Kragh, the northern club's second-highest scorer (85 goals), club management has turned its attention to two promising players with solid track records in the top flight. To strengthen the right wing, Matthieu Marmier arrived from Toulouse and will also bring significant continental experience to the Stade des Flandres. Meawhile, the opposite side will now be guarded by Ukrainian international Taras Minotskyi, who arrived from Polish team Gornik Zabrze.
Another major departure, despite a recent season hampered by injuries, is that of Jean-Loup Faustin to Nîmes. Replacing him is a true fighter and former Parisian youth academy star who has settled on the Côte d'Opale: Ludwig Appolinaire. However, he will be competing with Diogo Oliveira, who is making a return after playing on loan with the Lionceaux three years ago. This time, the Portuguese centre-half is arriving on a permanent deal after a successful season at Porto.
This opening-day Liqui Moly StarLigue fixture will be broadcast live on beIN SPORTS 1, with throw-off scheduled for 20:00, and can also be followed via our live tweets. Tickets are still available to watch our French champions return to Coubertin.
