Istres - Paris preview: Heading south
Handball•
On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball travel to Istres for their Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 10 fixture. Find out everything you need to know about the encounter.
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After starting the season with seven defeats and a draw, Istres finally secured their first win of the season on Matchday 9. Last-gasp winners in Chartres (27-28), the side from Provence can approach their next few games with a lighter heart, even though they remain bottom of the table.
Bastien Cismondo's team are now neck and neck with Sélestat and Dijon, the two promoted teams also on three points after eight games. However, they will be up against our Rouge et Bleu, who have been consistently impressive on the national stage with nine wins in as many games.
Although the results have been largely disappointing, Istres can still be satisfied with the performances of several key players. A product of the Nantes youth system, summer signing from Frontignan Guénolé Gaillard has exceeded expectations in his first top-flight campaign. Able to play left-back and centre-half, the 24-year-old is his team's leading scorer and assist provider with 34 goals and 42 assists.
A key member of the squad despite his recent arrival, Gaillard is as reliable in attack as Romain Mathias is in defence. The Istrian goalkeeper sits fifth on the Liqui Moly StarLigue saves chart, with 89 to his credit - just six fewer than Alexandre Demaille (Saint-Raphaël), who tops the rankings after nine matchdays. The Parisians will therefore have to be particularly wary of these two players, who are blending into an increasingly solid team as the weeks go by.
This third consecutive away game after victories in Toulouse (33-36) and at GOG (28-31) promises to be particularly challenging for our Rouge et Bleus. Fortunately, Stefan Madsen and his men will soon be back in front of their faithful fans, with four dizzyingly exciting home clashes on the cards. The capital club will take on Barcelona on Wednesday before hosting Montpellier on Saturday in a top-of-the-table Liqui Moly StarLigue clash. The following week will be no less fascinating, with another decisive duel against Plock to be followed by a home game against Chambéry.
On Friday, Limoges will attempt to get back on track when they play host to Aix at Beaublanc. At the same time, Dunkerque will be looking to get back to winning ways at home and move away from the relegation zone by securing a result against a Tremblay side that have been impressive so far this season. Tied with Istres in the relegation zone, Dijon will be looking to take advantage of Saint-Raphaël's fatigue after their hard-fought victory over Bidasoa in the EHF European League on Tuesday. Also on Friday, Chambéry will be looking to pick up maximum points against Sélestat. On Saturday, Nîmes will have the difficult task of trying to end their five-game losing streak in the derby against Montpellier, while Nantes will conclude Matchday 10 against Chartres on Sunday.
