Having hosted Cesson-Rennes last week (30–24) and then Zagreb on Wednesday (34–30), Paris Saint-Germain Handball are set to play a third consecutive match at Coubertin - within the space of eight days. So far, so good for our Rouge et Bleu, who have managed to secure victory - despite the odd struggle - in their first two home matches. The aim is clear: to secure a third consecutive win and continue their upward trajectory during a particularly busy September. While the capital club is one of five teams - alongside Montpellier, Nantes, Saran and Caen - to have won their first two league matches, the situation is more equivocal for Chartres.
After a rough opening day in Montpellier (41–22), they bounced back brilliantly against Tremblay last week (35–30). Thierry Anti’s men showed great spirit by refusing to give up after a poor opening phase (16': 9–13). Leading at half-time (30': 18–17), it was in the final quarter of an hour that everything changed, the team from the Île-de-France region hitting seven unanswered goals to secure their first win of the season.
Having narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season, Chartres more or less went back to the drawing board over the summer. Eleven players left, including Milan Bomastar (Vardar), Vanja Ilic (Aix), Youenn Cardinal (Geneva) and Sebastian Skube, while ten new signings arrived - along with new coach Thierry Anti. The former PSG Handball boss, who led Paris to their first-ever silverware when they won the 2007 Coupe de France, has come out of retirement to try to help Chartres establish themselves more firmly in the top flight.
The iconic Nantes coach (between 2009 and 2019) has also taken charge of the Tunisian national team, whom he will lead at the World Men's Handball Championship in January 2027. It's therefore no surprise that he lured several Tunisian internationals to Chartres in the summer, including Mehdi Harbaoui, who arrived from Dunkerque and will have the daunting task of succeeding Milan Bomastar. There is also a familiar face for the capital club: Oussama Hosni. The experienced 34-year-old right-back has crossed paths with les Rouge et Bleu whilst playing for Pelister in each of the last three Champions League campaigns.
Other summer signings include defenders Gabin Martinez and Edimilson Araujo. The former has left Dunkerque, the club where he came through the ranks, after eight seasons there and over 200 appearances in all competitions, while Araujo is moving on following a solid season at Istres, where his 134 goals couldn't prevent the southerners from being relegated.
The Chartres side have also signed Edouard Kempf, who came through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain before joining Toulouse in 2021, as well as André Garcia José. Having arrived this summer from Braga, he is not necessarily well known outside Portugal. The Portuguese central midfielder does, however, share a special connection with Paris Saint-Germain, as he is Joao Neves’s cousin! The capital club’s midfielder even travelled to Chartres this summer to watch one of their pre-season matches.
One thing is certain: André Garcia José didn’t come to the Starligue just to make up the numbers! Against Montpellier, the Portuguese centre-half was one of the few bright spots for Chartres, with eight assists to his name. Last week, the new signing did even better, playing a part in 13 of the CCMHB’s 35 goals (nine goals, four assists), earning himself a place in the Team of the Week.
He is not the only new addition to the squad to have made a good impression so far this season. Absent against Montpellier, Edimilson Araujo immediately picked up where he left off last season with Istres, finding the net five times against Tremblay last week. As the natural successor to Vanja Ilic, Gaël Tribillon will also be one to watch on Sunday.
One of the squad’s key players, the man now entering his sixth season in the Blue and White jersey leads the attack. It is a role he is currently embracing fully, having converted all 11 of his attempts in the first two matchdays. His perfect performance against Tremblay (9 from 9) notably earned him a place in the Team of the Week alongside André Garcia José.
Gaël Tribillon now shares the left wing with Naël Tighiouart, who is coming off the back of an historic season in the Proligue. On loan at Pontault-Combault, the young winger - now 22 - was named in the Team of the Season thanks to his 219 goals. Although he didn't score against Tremblay last week - due to his team-mate’s perfect performance - he put in a solid display against Montpellier (four goals, two assists) and could well be one of the season’s breakthrough players.
Matchday 3 kicked off on Thursday evening with yet another disappointment for Toulouse, who suffered their third defeat in as many matches. Having lost to newly promoted Saran (27-25) and Caen (31-32), the Fenix went down to Sélestat on their home turf (24-25). On Friday, Dunkerque also suffered a third consecutive defeat, thoroughly outplayed by Chambéry at home (29-38).
Meanwhile, Tremblay secured their first win of the campaign, beating Saint-Raphaël (36-30), while Caen and Saran suffered their first defeats of the season against Limoges (23-38) and Nîmes (31-32) respectively. On Saturday, Cesson-Rennes will be looking to get their first points of the season against Aix, while the first top-of-the-table clash will see Montpellier take on Nantes at 17:00 on Sunday, alongside the match between our Rouge et Bleu and Chartres.
Throw-off for this Matchday 3 clash is set for 17:00 on Sunday. There’s still time to book your ticket for this upcoming home fixture but, for those who can’t make it to Coubertin, the match will be broadcast live and exclusively on HandballTV.
