11.06.2021, 10:00
PSG face debutants Aalborg in EHF FINAL4 opener

SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: The teams from France and Denmark play for a place in the EHF Champions League final

Paris Saint-Germain Handball and Aalborg Håndbold are set to throw off the most anticipated weekend in men’s club handball when they meet in the first semi-final of the EHF FINAL4 2021 in Cologne on Saturday.

While PSG are among the title favourites each season and are entering their fifth EHF FINAL4 event, Aalborg are newcomers to the marquee event as they attempt to crown their standout season.

The winner will meet either Barça or HBC Nantes, who contest the second semi-final later Saturday, in the final on Sunday.

FIRST SEMI-FINAL

Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA) vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN)
Saturday 12 June, 15:15 CEST, live on EHFTV

• PSG play their fifth EHF FINAL4 event, Aalborg their first
• PSG reached (and lost) the final once, in 2017, while Aalborg have not gone beyond the Last 16 in previous seasons
• PSG finished third of group A before eliminating Celje in the play-offs and titleholders THW Kiel in the quarter-final
• Aalborg ranked fourth in group B and went on to beat Porto in the play-offs and Flensburg in the quarter-final
• Mikkel Hansen leads for PSG with 80 goals and Nikolaj Christensen is Aalborg’s best scorer with 61 goals
• Hansen will join Aalborg in the summer of 2022
• Aalborg’s Henrik Møllgaard played for PSG in 2015-18
• the teams have met four times in the EHF Champions League, with PSG winning each time and scoring more than 30 goals
• both teams won their domestic league this season: PSG won the French title for the seventh time, Aalborg became Danish champions for the third straight time

TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas