LNH DIVISION 1 – Round 13
CHAMBÉRY SAVOIE HANDBALL VS DIJON MÉTROPOLE HBPAYS 08/12/23 20:00 CET
Chambéry back in the race for Europe
After a defeat that the Savoyards are still struggling to come to terms with, they should arrive with a vengeful spirit. Watch out for Dijon, who, for their part, have just taken a big blow against Nantes.
They'll need to attack Chambéry's defense head-on, because when it comes to chaining together or collective movement, Chambéry's defense is very comfortable in this register. Indeed, the game could be reduced to one or two passes, but we feel that this is the key to this confrontation. Pierre Paturel and co. are effective at reading and anticipating collective movements, but have more difficulty in outright duels. Dijon must be hoping for the return of Steeven Bois, who would do them a world of good in this respect.
On the other side of the pitch, Chambéri's very wide attack should cause Dijon's defense some difficulty, unless they manage to cut off the outside players with great deterrents from the No.2s. But this is not their plan at the moment, so we should still see Gustavo Rodrigues and Alejandro Costoya find solutions in the 1-2 gap.
We're also looking forward to seeing Lucas Vanegue's use of forward play. Will Erick Mathé choose to play him in defense as n°1 and place Queido Traore in n°2 to exploit the qualities of his new center-half? To be seen this Friday.
We therefore expect Chambéry to win with a minimum 6-goal cushion in a low-scoring game.
US CRÉTEIL HANDBALL VS PM HBC NANTES
08/12/23 20:30 CET
Large-space game
After their big win over Dijon, Le H visit Cristoliens, who were easily beaten in Montpellier last time out. As for Nantes, they'll be coming off the back of a physical duel with Rhein Neckar Lowen in the EHF Cup on Wednesday.
But there should be no surprises this week. The Nantes team's wide-open game is making all the teams in the league fold on a daily basis. They are the second-best attacking team in the league. But this is due above all to their defensive quality, which enables them to project a great deal forward. As proof of this, they are the best defensive team in the league, with an average of 27.3 goals scored per game.
Their defense, with its determination to disrupt the opposition's play, should put Créteil and its collective game in difficulty. We need to succeed in showing danger towards goal at all times if we are to flatten the Nantes defense and reduce their deterrent intentions.
The arrival of Edson Imare as a joker on the Créteil side will bring some impact, but we're likely to see a game that remains based on individual feats or two-man relationships. In other words, a game that won't last the whole match.
As for Créteil's defense, Thibaud Briet is expected to give the lefties a hard time, but also and above all to defensive boss Rémi Leventoux. And if not him, all the Nantes players are capable of winning their duels with their opponents.
So we're looking at another wide victory for Nantes, but with plenty of goals on both sides. The H should score around 38 goals and Créteil around 30.
DUNKERQUE HANDBALL GRAND LITTORAL VS C’CHARTRES MÉTROPOLE HANDBALL 08/12/23
Whose descent into hell?
Dunkerque have just lost their last two matches against the Liqui Moly Starligue's two red lanterns. After losing 30-32 at home to Dijon, this time they failed 31-24 at Saran. So they're good at getting struggling teams back on track. And that's certainly the case for C'Chartres, who have now lost 4 games in a row. But these are encouraging, as was their latest 3-goal defeat by Saint Raphaël. However, it's worth noting the long-term absence of their right-back Matic Groselj, who suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in the match against Créteil, and the long- term absence of Sergei Kudinov due to a herniated disc. Dunkerque, 12th on 7 points, take on C'Chartres, 10th on 8 points. The former are just two points from relegation. Who will emerge victorious from this highly dangerous duel?
Dunkerque, despite the return of O'brian Nyateu, remain ailing.
Tactically, the Dunkirkers will have to tighten their defense on Yvan Verrin and young Tunisian Yassinne Ben Salem. However, the latter is likely to give the Dunkirkers the ball with his lack of reading as the match progresses. And we hope to see the verve of Vadim Gayduchenko, who has been in a delicate state since the start of the season, to accompany the colossal work carried out by his incumbent in the position. This would enable Chartres to find other strings to its attacking bow.
But in the end, Dunkirk's defense, combined with a fine performance from Valentin Kieffer, should finally make the difference this year for the northerners.
We therefore expect Dunkerque to win in difficult conditions, with few goals scored and conceded. A match of around 27 goals.
US IVRY HANDBALL VS SARAN LOIRET HB 08/12/23 20:30 CET
A match for survival
Two teams tied on points with 5 points each face off. The second-place finishers host the first-place finishers in a 4-point match. Yet both teams are on a good run of form, with most of their points coming from the last 3 rounds of the championship. 1 win and a draw (3 points) for the Saranais and two wins (4 points) for the Ivryens. So, what can we expect from this opposition?
Tactically, Ivry made the unusual choice of giving Dylan Garain plenty of playing time against a team where duelists were the key. On the other hand, Fabien Courtial is giving more and more playing time to Clément Damiani, their right-back. His potential is being exploited more and more each weekend in his ability to win space.
It's up to Saran to reproduce the Cessonese's efficient defense and bury the Ivryens' collective play to the maximum. The key to beating this Ivry team is to neutralize their players and make as many mistakes as possible to block continuity of play.
On the Saran side, they have developed interlocking moves to isolate Clément Damiani's strong points on the weakest opposing defenders. This allows William Accambray to make the most of his work and get into motion to make an impact.
However, we believe that playing in wide-open spaces will make all the difference to the Saranese's tricky retreat. Offensively, Aymeric Zaepfel and Léo Martinez will be able to regularly attack Clément Damiani's defensive weaknesses. He essentially plays from a distance, without getting physically involved. Ivry's partners will simply have to make the most of the extra space created around these strong points.
We're expecting a tense, tight game, but one that should end with Ivry winning by just a few tiny goals. Just watch out that former French international Yann Gentil doesn't make the difference in goal, as he did last weekend.
MONTPELLIER HANDBALL VS P.M. PAYS AIX UNIVERSITÉ CLUB HANDBALL 10/12/23 15:30 CET
Patrice Canayer's style of play always makes the difference
On the one hand, we have a MHB team with a high level of consistency in terms of performance and quality of play. On the other, we have a team with great qualities but very little consistency in the effectiveness of their attacks. The proof is that they can win by 3 goals at Ivry with 2'45'' to go, and then lose by one goal when they slip up in the dying moments.
So, with Montpellier's victory, we're advocating self-assurance. A game often initiated by a strong duel and a capacity for continuity and interesting sequences. All the players are doing their utmost to avoid being neutralized ball-in-hand. Passing after contact is the order of the day in Hérault. And that gives us a real quality of play that can only come from good players who can read the game. It's certainly for this reason that big backs who only shoot have rarely found their place in Patrice Canayer's squad. And this year's decision to sign Ahmed Hesham (injured due to cruciate ligament rupture) and Bryan Monte is a real plus value, as they have the game to fit into this system.
Montpellier should therefore highlight Aix's fine relational difficulties in defense. And these can be seen in their defensive sequences.
On the defensive side, Montpellier goalkeeper Charles Bolzinger made his expected return to form with 17 saves at 47% in 48 minutes.
We should also have seen Ian Tarrafeta give the league's defences a run for their money. And collectively, we've seen a lot of interaction with the pivot. MHB's defense rarely puts points together while maintaining their depth. Instead, they're more into linking up, which may allow Adrien Vergely's, and especially Andrea Parisini's, positional gains to be made this weekend. And we already know their value. They should therefore score a lot in this opposition.
But as we expect, consistency will make the difference, and lead to Montpellier's victory by a small margin, but with plenty of goals.
USAM NIMES GARD VS FÉNIX TOULOUSE HANDBALL 09/12/23 CET 20:00
Occitanie's duel undecided
We were not far from the surprise you had predicted the week before. Toulouse only gave up in the last two minutes and kept the Parisians at bay as expected. Having come so close to pulling off the feat, isn't the opposite effect likely to occur with an overconfident start to the match against the Usamistes?
That's the question, because on paper, there are no surprises. Toulousain's high-impact defense is only in trouble when it comes to linking up on pivots. But this is currently Nîmes' biggest weakness. Indeed, they often find their relationship with their pivot Tom Poyet, but the latter's shooting is in doubt. This is forcing the Nîmes coach to use left-back Quentin Dupuy as a pivot.
On the other side of the pitch, I can see the Gardois reverting to their cultural 1-5 man-to-man defense, which hasn't been used for some time. But this could pose a problem for a player like Ayyoub Abdi, who would have to create his own solutions on his own. And it could also undermine Toulouse's collective game, which is always so precise in its timing against 0-6 defences.
A defense with Boïba Sissoko moving forward could reduce the danger for Toulouse. And the impact of Gonçalo Vieira's shooting would be relevant. It remains to be seen what choices Yann Balmossière will make on Saturday.
In any case, due to the psychological aspect, we're expecting Nîmes to win a closely-fought match.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN HANDBALL VS CESSON RENNES MÉTROPOLES HB 10/12/23 CET 17:00
Everything under control
Will Paris continue its unbeaten run in the league? You'd think that opponents in the Champions League, where PSG are in slight difficulty, would find tactical solutions to foil them. But for the moment, they're in control in every area. We saw them in trouble against Toulouse last weekend, but the early return of Kamil Syprzak, who once again put in a great performance, thwarted our plans and ideas. This time, they face Cesson, who are finally coming off the back of a masterful match against the Cesson team, with a fine Arnaud Tabarand in goal. Luc Steins should once again bring his speed and fire to bear against Romaric Guillo and the other Cesson defenders, all of whom will be lacking legs in the balance of power.
And mastering the tempo between speed and transition should once again enable the Parisians to make the difference in large spaces.
What tactical plan can Sébastien Leriche employ to find solutions against the Parisian ogre? The 7-a-side game has been tried by Toulouse, but it needs to be mastered to the last detail, as any hesitation will be punished by Raul Gonzalez's men. Or perhaps the 1-5 directed at Luc Steins which, as we'd advocated, Montpellier had tried and done rather well. We can see Cesson putting Junior Tuzolana in front of Luc Steins and taking advantage of his explosiveness to reduce the range of the Parisian half-center. However, PSG have too many weapons at their disposal to find themselves in difficulty against the Bretons.
So we're expecting a big Parisian victory, with a minimum 10-goal margin and a big scoreline of over 35 goals.
SAINT-RAPHAËL VHB VS LIMOGES HAND 87 07/12/23 CET 20:00
Will Limousin's goalkeepers make the difference again?
After two victories thanks in large part to the exploits of their goalkeepers, Limoges travel to Saint-Raphaël. Dino Slavic made 19 saves at 48% against Cesson and Gauthier Ivah against Nimes, made a string of heroics at the start of the second half to help his team-mates extend their lead.
But will this be enough against Saint Raphaël, slight winners at Chartres last Friday?
It's not the Limousin defense that's been making the difference in recent games, but the exploits of its goalkeeping understudy. But perhaps that's what the project is all about, with two explosive goalkeepers up front, each in his own role. Gauthier Ivah is a little more anticipatory, and Dino Slavic atypical but very reactive.
But for us, the key defensive factor will be the space and slowness with which Alberto Entrerrios's players retreat in the face of the speed of Marquez's team-mates. We should therefore see a lot of fast play and transitions in the axis of the Limoges defense.
On the other side of the pitch, Ihor Turchenko should put in another great performance, challenging Jonathan Mapu's lack of technique or the lack of depth in the middle, with a long-range shot on Adrien Di Panda's head.
The match should end in victory for Saint-Raphaël in an indecisive encounter.