“We have proven in the past that we are able to beat PSG and if we manage to let go of the horses, it is possible to do it again“, launches the hub of HBC Nantes, Dragan Pechmalbech. In an XXL room heated to white with more than 10,000 spectators, the H will rub shoulders with the undisputed master of the championship, this Tuesday evening, solid leader and still undefeated this season. But the Violets, dolphin of the club of the capital and strong of a series of eight games without defeat in StarLigue have arguments to be made. “This Nantes-Paris has become a Clasico. It has its date on the calendar, its room and its history“Says PSG goalkeeper Yann Genty.
If the people of Nantes were the losers of the “little final“of the Champions League in June, the last clash between the two teams, Alberto Entrerrios’ men are capable of dazzling their world. Their 25-24 success in April in Paris, PSG’s first defeat in the league since May 2019, and the first at Coubertin, already against Nantes, since 2017 are proof of this. And the H technician firmly believes in another big deal. Interview.
“We are in a good position to do something”
Are you surprised by the invincibility of Paris Saint-Germain this season (12 matches, 12 wins)?
Yes and no because it is a team that has lots of individual and collective qualities and that has not experienced too many changes for two years. She also didn’t lose too many players. So there are a lot of benchmarks and they know what handball they are playing. They have not lost quality collectively. The difference this season is that PSG are not suffering too much in the league. He wins his matches very easily and that allows him to run and be very calm. In the Champions League, it’s something else, but it’s normal for PSG to lose a few matches because, in their pool, they have 3 or 4 teams that are among the favorites.
Should we count on HBC Nantes to maintain the suspense in this championship?
We do not think of stressing this Paris team in the standings. We especially want to keep this second place. We have our feet on the ground, we understand that our goal is second place. It should allow us to play, for once, without that favorite label of the match that we have worn since the start of the season. And we are not going to save energy because it is the last championship game of the first leg and we will play in front of 10,000 people. We are in a good position to achieve a feat. If there is a team that can beat Paris it may be ours, even if for the moment the Parisians have shown a superiority that must be recognized.
“The players know that if there is a little fatigue, they have to put it aside”
Especially since the XXL room succeeds rather well at H against PSG (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat).
If there is one team that can come to XXL and remain favorite, it’s Paris. Afterwards, we will be carried by our audience and we will give a little more than 100% (sic) and try to limit the difference between the two numbers. But whatever happens, Paris does not have absolute pressure coming here. They certainly have the pressure because they are the favorites, in my opinion, but they don’t have the pressure to win.
How do you analyze the sporting issues surrounding this meeting?
It’s a match that can allow us to give ourselves a nice Christmas present because we know that beating PSG is not within the reach of all the teams. In view of the way we played the last matches, we can afford to play with a little less pressure than if we had lost against Nîmes or Chambéry. We won this chance to play this meeting in a more liberated way and that can only be positive. But playing Paris without having a good defensive withdrawal, it is not possible, if we want to exist in the match it will be an important deal. Their fast-paced play is truly impressive.
Doesn’t the sequence of meetings weigh on the form of your team?
We don’t train a lot and we play a lot. There is physical and mental fatigue with the sequence but it’s still positive because we had good results and, mentally, it did us a lot of good. Since the international break in November, this team is not the same. Before, there was a lot of hesitation and a lack of serenity, but we found the right way to approach the matches. Now we have to hold three matches [un de championnat, une demi-finale de Coupe de la Ligue et une éventuelle finale, le 19 décembre, en cas de succès face à Montpellier, ndlr]. All the players know this and if there is a bit of fatigue, they have to put it aside. They will be able to rest in a week.