MOTW visits Paris for PSG vs Kiel thriller

It has only been five months since Paris Saint-Germain HB and THW Kiel played at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2020. Still, both teams can’t wait to get back to LANXESS arena in Cologne on 12/13 June.

But the title dreams of one of the powerhouses will already come to an end this Wednesday, when the two teams meet for the decisive leg of the EHF Champions League quarter-final.

Kiel won the home leg 31:29 last Thursday so PSG are eager to make up the deficit in the Match of Week. The game in France is scheduled for throw-off at 18:45 CEST on Wednesday 19 May and will be streamed live on EHFTV with English commentary.

The MOTW coverage sees the game day begin with the Breakfast for Champions series on the official Instagram page of the EHF Champions League. During the day, fans will be able to enjoy exclusive coverage across all EHF Champions League social media channels as well as the live blog on eurohandball.com.

PSG and Kiel are included on many lists of title favourites

PSG against Kiel is a meeting between two teams that many handball fans have included on their lists of title favourites for the 2020/21 season.

Both teams competed at the EHF FINAL4 in December, when Kiel lifted the trophy for the fourth time, while PSG finished third and were forced to wait at least another six months to have a shot at their first title again.

Last Thursday, Kiel won the first leg 31:29 at home with an outstanding Harald Reinkind, who netted 10 times, and after a last minute that could prove crucial for the outcome of this tie.

The German side missed two chances for 32:28 before Kamil Syprzak scored in the closing seconds to reduce the French team’s deficit to just two.

Still, PSG will be aware of the huge task ahead: Kiel have lost only two away games this season – in the group phase against Telekom Veszprém HC and Barça.

Also, Kiel lead the head-to-head stats, with eight wins compared to PSG’s five.

For years, PSG seemed invincible on their home court, but the streak ended against Barça last season, while another German contender, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, also came away from Paris with both points in the current campaign.

The Match of Week features two teams that would each make for a strong title contender at the EHF FINAL4 on 12/13 June, leaving it unpredictable which of them will actually reach the final destination of the road to Cologne on Wednesday.