LNH Proligue, Round 15

BILLÈRE HANDBALL PAU PYRÉNÉES VS P.M. ANGERS SCO HANDBALL 20/12/23, CET 8:30

Angevine's downfall?

Two different trajectories in recent weeks for these two teams. Billère remain on a run of 3 wins in a row, while Angers continue their run of three games without a victory. Les Palois are coming off a demonstration in Essonne, with a big 11-goal win over direct rivals for survival. Billère are now level on points with their opponents.
We're expecting a game with plenty of goals, especially at the end of the mid-season, when defences are more vulnerable.
Valentin Doudeau should continue to create chances for his team-mates. It remains to be seen who will be able to capitalize on this work this week. Last week, Massy decided not to allow left-winger Eduardo Reig Guillen to shoot, but they caught left-back Dorian Vallet in the 1-2 gap. But against Angers, Mounir Douiri's fine work should prevent them from finding these easy solutions. This will have an impact on the match, as the first goal provider should be thwarted. But it will also open the floodgates elsewhere, as Angers' defense is considered to be less than airtight.
On the other side of the field, will Billère's defense make the difference against Angers' dangers? We think that the small backs will have a chance against this defense, where players can find themselves far from each other. Issam Tej could still exploit Filip Vucelic despite the return of the incumbent to the position.
With all their attacking potential and their master of control and commitment, Fares Ghoul, Angers should pull off a minor feat by winning in Bearn. As already mentioned, we're expecting a wide-open game, with over 33 goals from both sides and only a tiny gap at the end.

CAEN HANDBALL VS JS CHERBOURGEOISE MANCHE HB 20/12/23, CET 8:30 P.M.

Derby Normand

Last-placed Caen have nonetheless recovered since recruiting Allan Villeminot and Enzo Druguet. But will that be enough against this fine Cherbourg team? A derby, depending on how it is approached by one team or the other, is never a match like any other. So we're expecting a surprise Caen victory. But why do we think that? We think that goalkeeper Enzo Druguet will put in a solid performance against the Cherbourgeois. The 1-5 man-to-man or even 5-1 Korean-style defense could give the Cherbourg attack a run for its money. It's an attack that works around the pivot's action, which means he exploits a shift. This can be done by gaining a position early, or by blocking on 3 or 4 for the backs. But that won't be possible with this defense. It's up to Caen to try and hold it for as long as possible. Because it's in these conditions that they defend best, with their dynamic players lacking in strength. If they realign themselves, we'll find Nicolas Bono still having fun with Jordan Allais and his major defensive shortcomings. Offensively, Caen will be able to count on the impact of their full-backs, thanks to the work of Francisco Pereira. Of course, the wingers are once again likely to find themselves in real trouble against Cherbourg goalkeeper Nicolas Gauthier. But Caen should concentrate their play and switch Emilien Deschamps to the wing once he has been effective at the back. His replacement, Louis Tournellec, will then be able to exploit solutions from distance in the face of the opposition's low defense. Besides, this is a period when defences are more fragile.
The match should therefore be a tight affair, finishing around the 30-goal mark.

HANDBALL CLUB COURNON D’AUVERGNE VS SARREBOURG MOSELLE SUD HANDBALL, 20/12/23, CET 8. P.M.

The Sarrebourgeois awakening?

We don't think so. Despite a fine performance last week and a classy win over Frontignan, the trip to Auvergne promises to be a complicated one. Of course, Marius Randriantseheno will be a real handful for Cournon's defenders. On the other hand, Jordan Yamdjeu's impact should be reduced by the lack of depth in this defense. It's up to him to work for his backs, but that's not his first quality. On the other hand, this will open up a lot of shooting opportunities for Louis Despreaux. But the counter-keeper relationship with Auvergne's Twin Towers could help Guillaume Jamet to make saves. Jamet, who works a great deal on anticipation, can be a real handful for his opponent this evening. It's going to be a great duel in this match to watch.
But the biggest difference is likely to come from Cournon's attack and the repeated assaults of Matéo Grosjean and Lucas Musy. They should regularly put Noa Bardou in difficulty and find solutions in the link-ups. If there are any visible technical weaknesses, they will be exploited immediately. Their commitment and inclination towards goal is a sight to behold. However, it can sometimes lack continuity in depth.
The match should therefore end in victory for Cournon, with two teams on 30-plus goals.

STRES PROVENCE HANDBALL VS NANCY HANDBALL, 20/12/3, CET 8PM

Offensive duel in sight

Two teams with strong attacking potential go head-to-head. Istres have got back on track in the last two weeks and face a Nancy team that is still inconsistent. They can be trailing by 8 goals against Sarrebourg, just as they can be outscored by 11 goals, as they were last weekend against Valencia. This time, the physical density of the Istres defense should reduce the impact of Rohnan Conte-Prat. Despite his speed and mobility relative to his size, he could clearly find himself short of strength this week. Attacking Edgar Dentz or Geoffroy Carabasse is no easy task. And the Nancy team's static style of play isn't likely to help. Indeed, they need to find solutions on one or two passes, as the rest is cruelly lacking in runs and movement. So we see the Istres defense continuing to direct the game towards the outside by densifying their central sector. It's a good move, because that's where their goalkeeper Xoan Ledo is most relevant. What a match he put in for us last weekend, totally disgusting the opposing wingers. They must still be having nightmares about it. And as for Nancy's defensive options, either stay flat and get punished by Toke Schroder, or create depth and be pierced by Matt Lafleur's duels or Edgar Dentz's play inside. Despite the lack of fluidity in the Provençal attack, this should be enough to make the difference. However, the latter should be careful to remain altruistic and let each other shine, rather than starting a war of egos to see who can score the most. Nevertheless, we expect Istres to win with at least 36 goals and a 5-goal cushion over Nancy.

PONTAULT-COMBAULT HANDBALL VS MASSY ESSONNE HB 20/12/23, CET 8:30 P.M.

Can’t wait for the break

That's certainly what these two teams must be telling themselves after a complicated month of December. The current cold and damp must not suit them. There are few areas where Massy should be able to thwart Pontault-Combault. Perhaps in some of their fast-paced play, thanks to the speed of their players. But the change in attack and defense with Pintor Guynel should open up a host of solutions on the fast break, with sharp wingers cutting into the middle to play the throw-in.

In attack, Hugo Lima should be exploiting the spaces left between the Massycois defenders by their pure man-to-man defense. But they're not technically relevant enough to defend in this way. Let's hope coach Thomas Lefebvre changes his defensive system to help his team outwit their opponents. But if he does, Arthur Muller should be in for a treat, served up on a platter to make his former team-mates suffer at long range. In attack, Thibault Chevalier may be struggling, but he finds himself a little on his own. Next to him, very few players are providing any offensive threat. As a result, we're likely to see Massy running in circles against Guillaume Saurina's men's defense.
No surprises expected this Wednesday. Pontault-Combault is set to revitalize its machine and give itself a fine Christmas present with a 10-goal victory, certainly topping the 35-goal mark. Fans should get their money's worth. Massy, for their part, will be glad of a break over the festive period to get their heads back in the game and avoid continuing their inexorable slide towards the bottom of the standings.

TREMBLAY-EN-FRANCE HANDBALL VS SÉLESTAT ALSACE HANDBALL, 20/12/23, CET 8:30 P.M.

A great show in store

Tremblay faces a tricky match if it is to maintain its perfect record. 14 games and 14 wins, we're going for 15th. That's what we think, but it won't be easy. It's still a Starligue-style match with a young but ambitious Sélestat side. But the league's second-best attack is set to cause a stir again this Wednesday. And that's thanks to both their attack and, above all, their defensive quality, which provides them with plenty of solutions in wide-open spaces. Indeed, we're expecting a match along these lines. Sélestat, with the impact of Tom Vinatier and, above all, the young, twirling right-back Hugo Pimenta, should find solutions to the Tremblays defence. However, the team's defensive system is unlikely to give them an advantage. Indeed, the tightly-knit defense of Chérif Hamani's men leaves little room for opposing duelists. We should therefore expect to see them exploiting the open sea. But that won't be enough, as Cyril Dumoulin will continue to make his saves, and as the game progresses, this always makes the difference. And above all, because Tremblay's attack rarely falters. The depth of the bench and the individual qualities of each player lead to a consistent offensive performance for 60 minutes. Even if Sélestat manages to adjust one player, another can replace him and exploit other qualities. And so, Sélestadienne's outward-looking defense will this time bring out the qualities of their wingers. We should therefore see Jean Pierre Dupoux and Josip Bozic Pavletic scoring. And if the former is in trouble, Jérémy Pirani will be able to return and enjoy the company of his former Nice team-mate, goalkeeper Gretar Ari Gudjonsson. This Christmas present for all handball fans should see Tremblay win the match by a considerable margin, but above all with over 36 goals scored.

VALENCE HANDBALL VS GRAND BESANÇON DOUBS HANDBALL, 20/12/23, CET 8:30 P.M.

A big hill for Christmas

The battle for survival is fierce this year. Even if we know that there will only be one descent (due to Villeurbanne's general forfeit because of financial problems), only 4 points separate the 8th-placed team from the current last-placed. Valence, 12th with 8 points, face Besançon, 11th with 9 points. It should therefore be a very tight match with a lot at stake before the Christmas break. Besançon's defense, still struggling to get past the pivot, is likely to take goals from Bilal Ben Brahim. Valencia's closed game should focus on this search and the desire to finish around these positional gains. But for this to happen, Kévin Mouillon may need to be given some playing time, as he may have these relational qualities, unlike the mainly shooting Aboubakar Fofana. So we're expecting a game in which it won't be easy to find solutions, and therefore a low score for Valencia. But on the other side of the pitch, we're expecting the same thing, with the Valentinois closing quality. As expected, Lucas Jametal Hubert put in a strong performance last weekend. But this time he'll have to be more of a passer when he comes out of these duels. After that, the other players will just have to exploit the solutions on the outside or on him with cross-shots. This would give Martin Petiot a chance to shoot from distance. But we also think that Valence's defense and slow pace will put Besançon to sleep and give them a hard time. So we also see Besançon scoring very little. It's sure to be a game of details. And as a detail, we'll take the draw on a small score, 28-28 for example. Draws are very rare, of course, but it could be a nice Christmas present.