Cesson-Rennes - Paris: The Preview
Handball•
On Friday 24 April 2026, Paris Saint-Germain Handball travel to the Glaz Arena to take on Cesson-Rennes in Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 25 action. Find out all you need to know about this fixture.
Last week, the Parisians showed their mettle in Limoges, claiming a capital victory in the race for the title (28-32). Stefan Madsen's men now face a third consecutive away gme across all competitions. Although their bodies may be showing signs of fatigue in this marathon campaign, Les Rouge et Bleu are determined to fight tirelessly right to the end to clinch their 13th French league title. To do that, there are five matches left - five finals - one of which will be against Nantes in the majestic AccorArena on Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 28.
Still unbeaten after 24 league games, the capital club is currently the favourite to win the title. Although they were held to a 31-31 draw at Nantes last December, The H are still in touch, just two points behind Stefan Madsen's men. As a result, the Parisians are still under pressure and must continue their fine run of form if they are to retain top spot as the end of the season approaches.
Meanwhile, Cesson-Rennes' end to the season appears have little at stake, but it would be a mistake to imagine that they will be slacking off in any way. This season, Sébastien Leriche's men have already knocked off a number of top-calibre sides, including Aix (31-25), Nîmes (35-31), Toulouse (34-26), Chambéry (35-31) and even Limoges (28-30), demonstrating their ability to step up in the big matches, especially in front of their home fans.
24. That's the number of assists Egon Hanusz provided against Tremblay on Matchday 21. This is an all-time record for the Hungarian international, who was involved in 26 of the 31 goals scored by Cesson-Rennes in a cruel late defeat (31-32). With 227 assists this campaign, the 29-year-old centre-half has impressed in his first season in France. Having arrived from Benfica last summer, he did not need a long period of adjustment, notching up 13 assists as early as Matchday 2's 34-28 win at Sélestat. This Friday, he will undoubtedly be Bretons' major asset against our Parisians, who will have to take every precaution to contain the dazzling Hungarian.
With five games remaining in the Liqui Moly StarLigue season, some teams have no margin for error. The Parisians, in particular, will be keen to win in Brittany to keep their distance from Nantes, who will also be on the road as they take on Istres on Friday evening. At the same time, Montpellier will be looking to get back on track by overcoming Aix, a week after their defeat by The H. This is an important duel as Limoges travel to Tremblay at the same time, looking to stay in touch with the side from the Hérault region.
The Starmatch of the week pits Chartres against Dijon in a bottom-of-the-table clash. Dunkerque are also involved in the battle for survival, and will be looking to spring an upset at the Phare de Chambéry on Saturday evening. While Nîmes have nothing left to play for at the end of the season, that is not the case for Toulouse, who must win to keep their faint hopes of another European campaign alive. The same goes for Saint-Raphaël, who conclude this round of matches at home to Sélestat.
This Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 25 fixture will be broadcast live and exclusively on HandballTV, with kick-off scheduled for 20:30.