LNH Proligue, Round 16

ANGERS SCO HANDBALL VS PM VALENCE HANDBALL
02/02/24 CET 19:30

Angers, currently 13th with 10 points, will face Valence, positioned 11th with 10 points. This match comes after a break of one and a half months, during which the French national team achieved a significant victory against Denmark in the Euro final, adding to France's illustrious handball history as the most decorated nation in the sport. As a result, it's a match filled with uncertainties. There's a feeling that tactical changes might occur in one of the two teams, possibly necessary in the pursuit of securing their position in the league. It sets the stage for a tense first day to kickstart positive momentum for the upcoming matches. To restart, it's essential to build on one's strengths. Angers' primary offensive asset is the work of Fares Ghoul inside. He proves effective in gaining positions and sliding, with Achraf Saafi expected to return to provide him with additional options. This strategic move should exploit the defensive formations of Valence, allowing Fares to position himself advantageously during the repositioning of the three defenders. This is the first solution that the Angevins are likely to employ. As a second strategy, within Angers' isolation movement, either Acharaf Saafi or Swan Lemarié can attack Yoann Eudaric head- on. This can result in a solitary finish or a cross with Ahmed Abdelhak, who will find himself in a favorable position for long- distance shots. The weakness of Valence's defense, especially Yoann Eudaric's struggle to handle isolation, plays into Angers' hands. He remains in a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper in such scenarios. Valence, on the other hand, can make a difference in attack through long-range shots. The effectiveness, however, depends on the accuracy of their shooters, particularly Aboubakar Fofana, returning to Maine-et-Loire to face his former team. Although Angers seeks to impact rather than counter, leaving shooters free when the impact is delayed, it is anticipated that only William Benezit will manage to score from a distance. The predictability of Aboubakar Fofana's shots makes them readable for the Angevin goalkeepers. In conclusion, a closely contested match is expected where the pace of Valence might disrupt the encounter and the speed of Angers. However, Angers is likely to secure victory by a narrow margin, with the total goals scored expected to be less than 30.

GRAND BESANÇON DOUBS HANDBALL VS PONTAULT-COMBAULT HANDBALL
02/02/24 CET 19:30

Focus on the work of the pivots
Pontault-Combault must have appreciated the break. After a strong start to the season, they ended the first half with four winless matches, marking their only setbacks this year. Guillaume Saurina and his players likely took advantage of the rest period to get back on track in January. For their comeback, they face what appears to be a relatively easy match on paper against Besançon, currently 14th in the championship with 9 points. The key factor in this encounter will be Besançon's offense against Pontault-Combault's defense. The latter tends to guide opposing teams towards the interior, with the rule that the number 2 players are not allowed to lose outside. This strategy makes sense, especially when boasting arguably the best defender in the Proligue, Aurélien Padolus. Hailing from Sarrebourg and a product of Nîmes' training center, Padolus seldom loses his one-on-one duels. In frontal one-on-one situations, he typically neutralizes his opponent and excels in crossing sequences with his reading ability and mobility. The only slight drawback is his work around the pivot, where he might end up behind without pushing back because he primarily tries to go around from above. This could be the area where Besançon finds solutions, especially since their game revolves around the relationship with their pivot, Enzo Handjou Tchulieu. Although they rarely lose possession in long-range play, their game lacks depth and precision in passing, resembling a Danish style without the necessary passing quality. They heavily rely on commitment to create relationships around their pivot, who is expected to be one of their top scorers. On the other side, Pontault-Combault should face similar challenges, with Besançon struggling to pass in front of the pivot. This should allow the accuracy of Aurélien Chaudanson in ball handling, as well as his replacement Julien Luciani, to find solutions in the Bisontine defense. With few concerns, Pontault-Combault is expected to secure victory with a 5-goal margin, rejuvenating their second half of the season in a positive manner. They should easily surpass 32 goals.


JS CHERBOURGEOISE MANCHE HB VS TREMBLAY-EN-FRANCE HANDBALL
02/02/24 CET 19:30

Time for one-on-one

Back at Chantereyne after a long wait, Cherbourg supporters are expected to turn out in large numbers, especially considering the opposition and the visit of the league leaders Tremblay-en-France. The atmosphere in the arena is anticipated to be incredibly loud, with the eighth man making a significant presence on Friday. However, the question remains whether this will be enough against the formidable force of the league leader. It seems uncertain, given the quality of Tremblay's players, many of whom excel in one-on-one situations. Thibault Garaudet, Fadhuile Mattéo, and Quentin Colman are considered among the best one-on-one players in the league. Their isolation plays are likely to challenge the Cherbourg defense. Victor Rodriguez Costas, who struggles when isolated, is expected to face attacks from all sides. While Thomas Loppy brings many qualities to this sector, his enthusiasm and commitment may lead to him being frequently penalized in this match. If the game moves into open space, the two changes in attack and defense could pose problems for Cherbourg. Paul-Louis Guiraudou is not comfortable in defense, and if he is pressed for time, Thibault Garaudet could take advantage of the situation and disrupt him as much as he wants. On the other side of the field, the focus is on the key moments of the future Istres player Nicolas Bono. While he may win some battles against the Tremblay defense, he is expected to primarily shoot from a distance against their low central defense. Similarly, Yanis Busselier may have some central long-range solutions, but the quality of the counter-relationship with Cyril Dumoulin could diminish his impact as the match progresses. Therefore, Tremblay-en-France is seen continuing their journey towards the title. With a comfortable 5-point lead, they are in a strong position. They should secure victory with more than 32 goals, thanks in particular to the league's top scorer, Jean-Pierre Dupoux. The goal difference could easily be more than 8 goals.


MASSY ESSONNE HB VS HANDBALL CLUB COURNON D’AUVERGNE
02/02/24 CET 19:30

A morphological balance of power

Massy, currently 12th with 10 points, faces Cournon, positioned 10th with the same 10 points. Both teams are part of the five squads tied just above the relegation zone, making this a crucial and tense match to secure safety. Massy has a history of dealing with these crucial relegation battles, but the team is now significantly younger. The lack of experience might play a role in such crucial moments, despite the guidance from experienced figures like Jérémy Hakkar, their goalkeeper, and Antoine Conta, their right winger and also a fitness coach. To effectively attack Cournon, it is crucial for Massy to play wide and open up spaces between their two defensive towers, Zacharia Ndiaye and Robin Dourte. If the game is too tight, it would play to the advantage of Cournon due to their physical and morphological profiles, allowing them to dominate through strength and experience. Massy needs to stick to their style of play, which involves playing extensively on the outside to exploit central spaces once they open up. Following crosses, Florent Suretet should leverage his great speed to challenge the opposing low-defenders or create blocks on the third line. The key lies in Massy's ability to initially exploit the game in the 1-2 interval, which will then open up spaces between the third and second lines. Interestingly, Cournon's right back, Mateo Grosjean, has a similar profile. His short arm and surprise mid-distance shots could catch Jérémy Hakkar off guard. Cournon will likely rely on isolations with Pierre Halimi or Antoine Gros, the latter replacing their injured defensive leader Pyntor Guynel. The center Lucas Musy should find numerous one-on-one opportunities and score against Massy's defense. However, as the match progresses, it is predicted that Massy will control the game through defensive stops, securing the victory in this crucial relegation duel. The scoring is expected to be low, with approximately 28 goals in total.


NANCY HANDBALL VS HANDBALL PAU PYRÉNÉES
02/02/24 CET 19:00

Finding consistency is a source of performance

Two completely inconsistent teams during the first part of the season are facing off. Billère, which had a very poor start to the year, ended it on a high note. They are currently 8th with 12 points, notably securing 4 consecutive victories to conclude the year 2023. Let's hope that foie gras and champagne haven't dampened this momentum. On the other side, Nancy, in 6th place with 15 points, has alternated between good and less impressive performances throughout the early stages of the championship. One day they are on, the next day they are off. This is undoubtedly due to two factors. Firstly, their goalkeepers, characterized as players capable of making decisive plays, lack consistency in their performances. Cesar Oliveira can make 20 saves in one match and none in the following one. However, Billère's game, based on strengths around Doudeau's duels, may find itself hindered by Nancy's dense defensive structure. They indeed have a compact defense that consistently neutralizes opponents. Therefore, Nancy should be able to nullify some breakthroughs and, more importantly, disrupt the continuity of Billère's play. The other factor is the forced style of play by the Nancy players. While they all have the qualities to excel in their positions, the lack of continuity in their play and movements prevents them from finding clear and effective situations regularly. The game is not polished and often relies on individual exploits. Perhaps this is why the president opted not to keep Yérime Sylla at the helm for the next season. We hope that the work in January has allowed them to develop collective movements by leveraging each player's strengths. If this is the case, we should see a highly performing Antoine Blanc, orchestrated by his center Baptiste Clay. As mentioned, consistency is the key to performance. However, in this matchup, we see Nancy having the edge and should win, albeit not without difficulty. Both teams are expected to score around 32 goals. A draw is not to be ruled out to kick off this resumption.

SARREBOURG MOSELLE SUD HANDBALL VS CAEN HANDBALL
02/02/24 CET 19:30

Sarrebourg in continuity?

Sarrebourg, which got things back on track in December, is currently 9th with 10 points. They have secured 4 victories in the last 5 matches. The question now is whether this momentum has survived the break. We hope so for them. They face Caen, currently at the bottom with 6 points. However, a lot has changed on the Normandy side. A new medical joker facility emerged in December, and there are indications that another one might be on the way. Moreover, there has been a change in coaching staff, with Roch Bedos becoming the club manager, while Sébastien Quintallet, former coach of Ivry, has taken over as the team's head coach. It is challenging to know exactly what new developments to expect in this comeback, making it difficult to predict a winner in this matchup. Sarrebourg has an inconsistent playing style that relies on the strong moments of Marius Randriantseheno and the exploitation by Louis Despréaux in the external interval or through crosses to leverage his excellent long-distance shooting ability. The game often depends on the commitment and performance of their left-back, Noah Bardou, who can be a game-changer but also a potential liability. He needs to improve in managing emotions and handling setbacks. However, the arrival of Frédéric Beauregard has brought much-needed stability to Arnaud Calbry's team. As for Caen, we are eager to see what changes Sébastien Quintallet has brought to the Norman team. He clearly has a defensive challenge with the third-worst defense in the league. While there might have been a lack of quality in the 3-back positions, a shift towards a 1-5 formation had emerged and shown promising results. In this uncertain and complex-to-read match, we will bet on Caen's victory, with a standout performance expected from Enzo Druguet in their new goalposts. This prediction comes with a relatively high score, expecting both teams to surpass 30 goals each.


SÉLESTAT ALSACE HANDBALL VS FRONTIGNAN THAU HANDBALL
03/02/24 CET 13:45

Underdog clash

A thrilling match awaits between two underdogs in the championship. Sélestat, currently in 3rd place with 20 points, faces Frontignan, positioned 17th with 17 points. We can expect a game with a lot of verticality and, consequently, a significant amount of play in open spaces. This style of play will lead to a high number of possessions, resulting in scores beyond 32 goals for both teams—a display of modern handball at its finest. Despite Sélestat's recent lack of success in set-piece attacks, they find themselves up against Frontignan, the second-worst defense in the championship. It's ironic considering they have the goalkeeper who was elected the best goalkeeper in Proligue the previous year and has maintained a high level of performance this season. This defensive vulnerability aligns with their coach, Antonio Asier, who is undeniably effective in attack but often struggles with a fragile defense. This was evident during his time in Nice, where he consistently relied on exceptional goalkeeper performances, such as Gretar Gudjonnson, whom he coached back then and who is now their opponent for the night. For Chambéry, his future team, it's hopeful that they find an exceptional goalkeeper, or perhaps his future assistant coach, Raphaël Planchet, can focus on defensive animation. Frontignan's defense shows intentions of height with Ayhan Alexandre in the 2 positions but faces difficulties in the center technically with Anthony Laurens and Adria Leon in the 3 positions. However, they compensate for this with their commitment and iron-willed determination. Sélestat, through the strong moments of Tom Vinatier or the duels led by Hugo Pimenta, should challenge this central defense. Téo Egermann, as a pivot, should find comfort against the smaller central players of Frontignan due to his height. It's up to him to create more depth to maintain his gained positions. This is where the match is expected to unfold. Sélestat needs to fold back efficiently to avoid giving Frontignan too many opportunities. Without a significant performance from Frontignan's goalkeeper, Mesnard Kévin, with more than 18 saves, we don't see the Southern team prevailing. Therefore, Sélestat should emerge victorious in a closely contested match with a margin of 3 or 4 goals.