betprepare.com

Icelander Atlason and Brazilian Nantes uncertain to play

Tremblay were missing Raul Nantes in the first round due to problems with his transfer from Ademar Leon. In the meantime, the Parisians paid a part of the transfer fee to Leon, and the Brazilian left back could make his debut

We wrote in the season previews that St. Raphaël would play a fast-paced handball this season, which is largely a consequence of signing center back Morten Olsen from Hannover (see image). He brings a lot of aggression in the attacking department and presents a real threat to any defense. When joined by Arnor Atlason (left back) and Xavier Barachet (right back), St. Raphaël will need to be taken seriously by the rest of the league.

At the start of the season against league newcomers Nîmes, coach Gaudin was unable to count on Barchet, who could be out until late October, and Nicolas Krakowski, another left back. Atlason was supposed to stay on the bench throughout the game due to a finger injury, but when things got dangerous in the last 10 minutes (31-30), Gaudin wanted to freshen things up forward and the Icelander played a little. Not that it had any effect. He is expected to have additionally recovered in the last few days and to be given a lot more playing time today. There is no information available regarding Krakowski's possible return.

Alongside center back Olsen, Abily and Krantz played in the left back position on the first match day, and Stehlike and Di Panda were on the right. St. Raphaël looked great for more than 40 minutes, with a 26-18 lead in the 39th minute, and 28-21 in the 42nd. Everything pointed to an easy finish, but things went downhill from then on. After 29-23, Nîmes clawed back all the way to 31-30, and things got dramatic. Goalie Slavisa Djukanovic came to the rescue with some excellent saves over the last 10 minutes, topping it off with a saved penalty shot seven seconds before the end. The final score was 35-33, and Djukanovic had 17 saves in total.

- In the middle of the second half we were unable to break their rhythm, they were forcing a fast-paced play, and that's what Nîmes are best at. Luckily, I made some saves at the right moment. Morten Olsen's steal was especially important. We took two points, that's what's most important - Djukanovic said, as reported by local outlet Ville-saintraphael.fr.

The first round brought a lot of illogical results, which is not surprising since many teams are lacking automatism in the initial matches.

Alongside Djukanovic, St. Raphaël's top performers were left winger Raphaël Cacheuteux with 10/13 (7-meter throws 2/2), while Olsen scored 6 goals from 13 attempts (7-meter throws 1/2).

- We had a big lead, maybe we got careless. Nîmes took advantage of our poor defense, but what is good is that we showed up in the key moments. We will need a little more time for the team to find its balance, it will be better when the new players overcome the language barrier - top scorer Cacheuteux said.

- I had a good preseason, I feel good physically, and it is always a pleasure when you help the team. 

The game against Tremblay should run at a slower pace, as they are a lot older team than Nîmes. They should not require so much running, and they have a better defense as well. 

Ahead of their first match against Dunkerque, Tremblay coach Stéphane Imbratta stated that their number one goal this season was to make their home venue unassailable. He was looking for points against a strong opponent, but they weren't even close. Dunkerque had a 28-21 lead, allowed Tremblay to get to 28-25, but managed to keep the lead and the game ended at 30-26.

- We worked hard for seven weeks, I haven't had a tougher preseason ever since I started playing handball, so it's natural I'm disappointed. I don't know what to say, I don't feel we lost to a better opponent - right back Ibrahima Sall said.

- We missed four 7-meter throws, but a poor start to the second half was the key. We will keep working and now are turning towards St. Raphaël. It's a long campaign, tough for everyone, just look at the first round results.

This season, Sall will largely serve as the substitute for big signing Sebastien Bosquet, who scored 4 goals in 5 attempts in the first game. However, the center backs had a bad day - Crepain, Ternel and Ostarcevic scored just one goal in five attempts. Goalie Gajic, who arrived from Velenje, added his own poor display, saving only 8 out of 29 attempts.

- Let's not forget we have six new players, it takes time to become coordinated. This is only our first game and we will be stronger in the next ones. We have a good team and we know we can stand against many opponents - said winger Oussama Boughanmi.

Tremblay were missing their left back Raul Nantes, who should be their number one in that position this season after arriving from Ademar Leon. However, his transfer has not yet been fully completed. The Spanish club claims that the Brazilian signed for the Parisians while under a valid contract with Leon. The EHF has decided in Leon's favor, and now the issue is the transfer fee. According to Diario de Leon, the first installment of 25,000 EUR came from France, while the rest should be paid at the end of the season. This means that Nantes will be able to make his debut for Tremblay, but whether this will happen today, it remains to be seen.

Audrey Tuzolana gave a very good performance against Dunkerque, with 8 goals out of 10 attempts.

St. Raphaël showed nothing special this season. Although they led 26-18 against first league rookie Nimes, they allowed them to return into the game (31-30) and had to struggle to keep the points at the end of the game. Goalkeeper Djukanovic was their key factor in those moments. Atlason is expected to play more today, but he missed a significant part of the training camp and he surely needs to play more with Olsen and the rest of the team. St. Raphaël is a favorite, but not by 6 goals. Tremblay has a good team, I will say that again. I bet they will not lose by more that 3.5 against Dunkerquea at the start of the season, they lost by 4 with 4 missed 7 meter shots and a very bad performance by their goalkeeper Gajic who is expected to play good this season. I am convinced they will be good today, last year they lost against their today's opponent in the last seconds of the game (32-31) and today we could see another close game since Bosquet and his teammates want to show that defeat against Dunkerqe is not their reality.