Handball

LNH DIVISION 1 – Round 17

Lao Stand

Feb 13, 2024 • 13 min read

CHAMBÉRY SAVOIE HANDBALL VS CESSON RENNES MÉTROPOLE HB - 16/02/24 CET 19:00

Offshore play
What a performance, what a performance indeed. Benjamin Richert has broken the record for the number of goals in the Liqui Moly Starligue. He has just scored 19 goals against his former club, Créteil. And it took this incredible performance to secure Chambéry's victory, 40 to 39. We expected an exploit from Créteil, we were on the verge of it, but we could not have imagined such a standout performance. Todor Jandric and Dylan Soyez, the Créteil goalkeepers, must still be having nightmares. Chambéry's expansive play has struck again. This time they face a Cesson team coming off a great match against a weakened USAM due to injuries, winning 35 to 26. It's a standout performance that gives them some breathing room for maintenance.

What we expect this Friday evening is yet again an expansive style of play. But this applies to both teams. They have the ability to play very wide to open up central spaces and highlight their wingers or backs in the outer interval. Chambéry should therefore execute their game plan successfully again. An expansive game opening up all the strong points for Sebastian Skube. But beware, this style of play will truly isolate Romaric Guillo, the Cesson defender. He will have to adjust his combat distances if he wishes to have a chance to reduce the impact of the Chambéry center-half. This time we will see the choice made by Cesson. Will Sébastien Leriche leave the outer space to Gustavo Rodrigues or close it down but leave the door open for Benjamin Richert? We believe he will prefer the duel in the 1-2 interval with Arnaud Tabarand, his goalkeeper, who takes up a lot of space in this area. Chambéry should therefore challenge this Breton defense.

But on the other side of the field, the principle will be the same, with Mathéo Briffe's strong points exploited in the outer areas by his teammates. However, these ball exits are not yet the cleanest. Queido Traore in defense should intercept a few balls to secure some easy counter-attacks. The absence of Romain Briffe, the elder brother, is undoubtedly detrimental to the Cesson attack. His commitment qualities will naturally be missed. But lately, Mathieu Salou has finally managed to get closer in the game. This makes him more dangerous and efficient with long-distance shots. He is thus a real new focal point for his team's play. Coach Sébastien Leriche has succeeded in coaching and transforming him.

The match should therefore conclude with a hard-fought victory for Chambéry, around 32 goals.

C’CHARTRES MÉTROPOLE HANDBALL VS DUNKERQUE HANDBALL GRAND LITTORAL - 16/02/2024 CET 19:00

A match to breathe
The injured players are back for Chartres. Only Matic Groselj remains absent and will continue to be until the end of the year. This should bode well for them in the second half of the season. They now sit in 11th place with 10 points. They face Dunkerque, currently 10th with 11 points. The winner will get a big boost. While safety may not be guaranteed yet, it will feel more secure. However, both teams have just lost to the top teams in the championship. And Dunkerque made a strong impression during their carnival.

We saw Dunkerque's defensive quality. They lost very few duels. Certainly, Chartres with Yvan Verin should attack the retiring Kornel Nagy regularly, but Dunkerque's teamwork is of high quality. And if they don't attack Kornel, they will target Tom Pelayo, the right back. His weakness should still pose challenges, but the teamwork should be present. Chartres will need to successfully execute their ball exits to have any hope of troubling Dunkerque's defense. But for Chartres, it's mainly the right side that stood out against PSG. Yassine Ben Salem, the right back, scored 8 goals while Valentin Bdzynga scored 7 against his former club. Jean Loup Faustin will have a tough time in defense against Yassine's one-on-one plays. If the teamwork and duel management are correct, the game will be choppy, and Dunkerque will reduce Chartres' offensive impact. They could be limited to 27 goals.

Now, Dunkerque needs to deliver a strong offensive performance. Surprisingly, we see less and less of O’Brian Nyateu on the field. Yet, the play was of high quality against Nantes with great movements. If they are not hindered in their movements, Cornelius Krgah can get moving and exploit his long-distance shots. The same goes for Tom Pelayo; if there is movement and thus imbalances in the defenders, he will be even more effective in duels, especially his circle movement on the 3 as soon as they have an inverse movement. So for us, the match depends on Dunkerque's ability to set their defense in motion and get moving themselves. Chartres needs to place some deterrent intentions in the depth to neutralize this system. But with Chartres, this will mainly happen on the 2 and not centrally. If these intentions are put in place, Dunkerque will implement their favorite initiation. With a duel on the no. 3 and their pivot gaining position on the 5 in the upper interval. The pivot should pass regularly given the weakness of the no. 2s in wrapping up pivots.

That's why we believe Dunkerque could win at Chartres in a tight match with around 27 goals.

DIJON MÉTROPOLE HB VS MONTPELLIER HANDBALL
18/02/2024 CET 14:15

One-on-one play
What a match by Dijon. A beautiful victory for Aix-en-Provence. Even though we are aware of the current complex context for the latter, Dijon delivered a great collective performance. They put in a lot of energy to support each other. This was also thanks to the prowess of their goalkeepers. Wassim Helal, former Tunisian international, is indeed 41 years old, but he uses his experience and knowledge of the opposing shooters to outsmart them. It seemed like he had read all the shooters' intentions in advance. He, who has won everything in Tunisia, has been playing for Dijon since 2016. It's a good thing they kept him all these years. We remember he was one of the main architects of promotion the previous year. However, despite all this, Dijon remains last with 6 points. But they are only one point away from relegation. But now, facing Montpellier is a whole different challenge. They have just won, albeit not without difficulty but with full control, against their nemesis Ivry. Note that despite his serious injury, confidence is placed in Kylian Villeminot, who has extended his contract until 2028. However, his absence until the end of the season will clearly be another difficulty for Patrice Canayer to manage. But the young talents from the training center are there to compensate for his loss.

The match should therefore mainly focus on Dijon's defensive difficulties. Their weaknesses in one-on-one situations are often compensated by their teamwork, but Montpellier's quality ball exits should allow them to find easy shooting solutions. Their ability to exploit the gaps created by Brian Monte or Stas Skube is impressive. They spend hours reading the right information to either exploit straight or come in crossover. The wingers should therefore have a large number of solutions this Sunday afternoon. Lucas Pellas could thus be the top scorer of the match. On the other side of the field, there is a clear advantage for Dijon. His name is Edgar Dentz. He, who signed during the winter break with Dijon, has shown all his potential. From his first match, his teammates managed to find him. Sometimes forced, but often found. He managed to score 7 goals in his first match, including the winning penalty. However, they should be cautious not to overexert themselves against MHB. Because any turnovers will be immediately punished by Montpellier's open-field play. Yannis Lenne, the Montpellier right winger, will project himself very quickly on the counterattack and should find himself in a direct duel against Wassim Helal.

Despite the exploits their goalkeeper may achieve, Dijon should succumb at home to Montpellier. The latter should punish the Burgundians and score more than 35 goals. A 10-goal difference is likely to be established in the end.

US IVRY HANDBALL VS FENIX TOULOUSE HANDBALL
16/02/2024 CET 19:30 PM

Open match
An undecided match awaits us. Toulouse is coming off a surprising draw against Limoges. It seems like opposing teams have been reading their game plan for the past few weeks. On the other hand, Ivry has just lost logically to Montpellier. If they manage to pull off a surprise, they would have the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief. They would likely move the relegation threat away by 4 points. But they will need a great game if they want to achieve that.

Ivry's lack of consistency could allow Toulouse to manage the strong duos of Ivry. We remember the first leg match where Ivry handed the match to Toulouse by relentlessly forcing the ball to the pivot and losing a lot of turnovers. While this is one of the clear solutions against Toulouse's defense, it should not be abused. It is necessary to find the right moments to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. Simon Ooms, the Ivry pivot, after his 8 goals against Montpellier, could reproduce that performance against Toulouse. But if situations are forced, Bakary Diallo, Toulouse's exclusive defender, will gladly intercept passes. The three Toulouse defenders will also be called upon to face all the opposing duelists. Léo Martinez or Antonin Mohamed, the central players, will try to penetrate this defense. So, the key to the match is here. It will depend on who wins their duels.

On the other hand, Toulouse should continue to execute their quality game, characterized by collective movements and crosses to bring their backs into shooting or dueling situations against defenders in motion. So, the team from Haute-Garonne should install their game as they wish and reach 30 goals.

It will all depend on Ivry's attack. If they are successful, we expect a big surprise and Ivry's victory by 2 to 3 goals difference. If they fail and force their game, they should be punished on fast breaks by the counter-attacks of Nemanja Ilic. In that case, Toulouse will exceed 34 goals.

LIMOGES HAND 87 VS PAIX AIX UNIVERSITÉ CLUB HANDBALL 18/02/2024 CET 16:00 PM

The descent into hell ?
Aix is in crisis. We were expecting to see their behavior following the decision of the CNACG. There is a clear lack of commitment and a home defeat against the bottom team, Dijon. We cannot blame them. It is clearly difficult to put in total commitment under these conditions. They must be more concerned about which club they will be playing for next year rather than giving their all for their current club. Without love for their colors and their jersey, there will always be a missing soul. Now they face a tough match against Limoges, who are coming off a good draw against Toulouse, ranked 4th in the standings. The biggest problem for Aix lies in their regular double changes between attack and defense of the two backcourt players.

They often lag behind in transition and positioning. Yet the players have the ability to defend. As we know, modern handball is moving towards this search where few changes can be made. Future generations may not necessarily be exclusive attackers. Therefore, we can imagine Seif El-Deera, the Egyptian center-back of Limoges, exploiting central solutions on the end of ball advancement. Transition should therefore make the difference. It's just a matter of reading whether there is a delay, a problem with positioning, or if the defenders are isolated and not in their proper place. Tomislav Kusan, the Croatian pivot who mainly moves in the center of the defense, should also get opportunities.

But for that to happen, Limoges will need to defend well against Aix's striking forces. Even without commitment, danger can come from anywhere. Especially from Ian Tarrafeta, the Spanish center-back, who averages 6.7 goals per game excluding penalties. However, Aix's game lacks continuity. Limoges should exploit this by tightening their ranks and maximizing fouls. The game will therefore be choppy and left to individual exploits or two-player relationships. Therefore, we believe that Aix will still manage to find many solutions. But like against Dijon, if the commitment issue is not resolved, they will run into trouble against the Limoges goalkeepers. Additionally, they excel in saves on close-range shots. Dino Slavic, the Croatian goalkeeper, averages 8 saves per game at a 30% success rate but can also spike, as evidenced by his 19 saves against Cesson. Gauthier Ivah, who plays less, follows the same principle. He averages 5 saves per game but can quickly reach 10 saves, as seen against Dunkerque.

Therefore, we believe that Limoges should win by around 35 to 32, with the combined saves of the two goalkeepers totaling more than 20 saves.

HBC NANTES VS SAINT-RAPHAËL VHB - 16/02/2024 CET 19:00

Close to a feat
We know that winning at the H Arena is very difficult. Only Pays d'Aix managed to achieve this feat by scoring 41 goals. Friday's match is expected to be played in similar fashion, with both teams aiming for around 37 goals. Two teams that play with a lot of verticality and speed will face each other. Nantes struggled to break free from Dunkerque's carnival atmosphere. They allowed the Nordiste team's game to take shape too easily. Aymeric Minne, in particular, made the difference with his duels. He was unstoppable. As for Saint-Raphaël, they struggled but still won with mastery against Saran.

For this Friday, we expect an upset or at least we won't be far from it. For two reasons: the impact of Saint-Raphaël's fast- paced game, centered around Jose Marquez's engagement through his shots or powerful duels. The young left-back Noah Kouadio will once again be able to exploit his teammate's points of fixation. The other reason is the weakness of Nantes in managing the game from below, either on pivot slips or entries. And they will face two pivot movements this matchday. Johannes Marescot and Jonathan Mapu have quite similar profiles—very strong and low on support with a very low center of gravity and rapid movements under the depth of the defenders. If this relationship is established, Saint-Raphaël will put pressure on Nantes.

On the other hand, Saint-Raphaël will need to slow down Nantes' attacks. Grégory Cojean's men rely mainly on initiations to isolate their duelists. Thibaut Briet and Aymeric Minne stand out and often create the first strong moments. The absence of Rok Ovnicek until the end of the season has an impact on the offensive consistency of Nantes' game. His rotation, Lucas de la Breteche, brings as much collective quality but lacks impact towards the goal. And the second absence that costs Nantes dearly is that of Kauldi Odriozola. The Spanish right winger regularly scored goals on fast breaks due to his speed. These easy goals are missed by the H players. However, Nantes' attack will remain effective because their collective movements will destabilize Saint-Raphaël's defense.

Certainly, the absence of Sergio Perez could be detrimental to the latter, but the playing time given to the young center-back, Mathis Goupillon, compensates well for the engagement he brings. Therefore, we expect an upset, or at least they won't be far from it. We are therefore betting on a victory for Saint-Raphaël VHB at the H Arena with around 37 goals.

USAM NÎMES GARD VS US CRÉTEIL HANDBALL
16/02/2024 CET 19:00

Injuries hurt
It's difficult to predict this match because we know that Créteil, with their style of play, could create upsets every weekend. Indeed, they have a high-risk approach to the game. They primarily focus on quick attacks and solutions, which often results in scoring many goals. When things are going well, they can score five goals in less than four minutes, but when they are in a low period, they can also suffer five turnovers in the same amount of time. Therefore, everything can depend on their current success rate and whether they are willing to slow down a bit during low periods. They tend to play at a consistently high pace, which makes for extremely entertaining matches for us spectators. However, their high number of turnovers was evident when they allowed Benjamin Richert to score 19 goals against them, a feat that Créteil can only regret, considering they helped develop him.

It's also challenging to predict because Nîmes is currently plagued by injuries. Many players are sidelined, which prevents them from delivering their best performances. We thought Benjamin Gallego was back, but he suffered a setback. Additionally, Boîba Sissoko has joined the list of absentees. How can they achieve consistency in their performance under these circumstances? Their game currently lacks continuity in dangerous situations. It's more like significant periods of strong play, followed by periods lacking danger, then another surge, and so on. The game isn't as collective in depth as it could be. Of course, when the game is played on the wings, there's some depth, but they often end up going in circles.

Therefore, for this match, we anticipate a very close contest. The relatively deep defense of Créteil should create opportunities for Quentin Minel, another former Créteil player, who is adept at making significant plays. Mohammad Sanad is also expected to exploit any turnovers, with his anticipation and finishing quality likely making him the top scorer of the game.
However, everything will depend on Créteil's success. Valentin Aman should be contacted several times, exploiting weaknesses in Nîmes' defense against pivots. We should expect a masterclass in passing from Kyllian Rigault to his pivot. If Nîmes' defense remains flat, then he will have an impact from afar. If he is successful, Créteil should win on Friday night.

So, due to the injuries affecting Nîmes, we believe Créteil can emerge victorious in a match with around 37 goals. Let's hope that Créteil can reduce their turnovers during their low periods to increase their chances of success.

SARAN LOIRET HB VS PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN HANDBALL 17/02/2024 CET 19:00

Demonstrating fast play
Saran, coming off a good performance against Saint-Raphaël, faces a different caliber of opponent this time. The reigning French champions arrive full of confidence, having remained unbeaten in the league this year and recently scoring 44 goals against Chartres. The young PSG left winger, Léo Plantin, is also starting to get some playing time, making the most of the few minutes he's been given by scoring two goals. Saran's game has clearly developed this winter, but it's still not at the level of PSG's qualities.

There shouldn't be much competition, with PSG expected to win convincingly by surpassing 40 goals. Only Yann Gentil, a former PSG player, might reduce the Parisians' offensive impact. However, he'll need to produce consistent exceptional performances for Saran to have even a glimmer of hope. We expect to see a packed scoresheet, with at least one goal from every player listed. A significant rotation of players should be made, giving Léo Plantin another opportunity to showcase his potential.

Clément Damiani continues to progress steadily, seemingly improving with each outing, especially in his duel work. His speed in attacking the opponent's movement with his arm rotations makes him a formidable opponent despite his strength deficit. And if the defense closes in, he often finds his pivot, Théo Clarac, with his passes into the upper interval. We should see him succeed again on Saturday night. However, the rest of Saran's game is likely to be blocked by PSG's defense.

The only hope lies in defense with their new focus on 1-5 formation with Jordi Deumal as an advanced defender. This setup will lead to solutions on the wings, perhaps the only area where PSG struggles. However, Yann Gentil, who often opens up considerably at the first post, risks being regularly exploited in that area. And if the ball doesn't reach the wings, their 1-5 defense will open up opportunities for two-player combinations around the pivot. Here, we have the best offensive pivot in the league, possibly in Europe, in Kamil Syprzak, the Polish international. He averages 7.53 goals per game. Even with rotations this weekend, he should exceed 8 goals, especially with his efficient penalty shots.

There's little room for suspense, therefore. A PSG victory by more than 12 goals is expected, with PSG likely to surpass 40 goals once again.

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