Let’s make it simple: the French team should qualify this Saturday evening for the European Championship which will take place next January in Germany. The Blues, vice-world champions, face Poland this Saturday evening (9:10 p.m., live on beIN Sports, La Chaîne l’Équipe and HandballTV) in Aix-en-Provence. Poland is the same opponent that France easily beat in Gdansk last Wednesday (38-28).
Three days later, we do not see how the Poles could win. The Blues need a simple draw to validate their ticket for the Euro. It should happen. If unfortunately this was not the case, there will remain two chances in April for Guillaume Gille’s players to ensure their qualification, in Latvia and against Italy, two minor nations on the hand planet. To be honest, the suspense is not whether the Blues will qualify. France has never missed a Euro in its history. The unknown is whether the Blues will win this Euro and find a title that has been fleeing them since 2014. Six months before Paris 2024, it would be a good idea.
We must first get around the Polish obstacle that France is facing for the third time in 2023. France-Poland was also the poster for the opening match of the last World Cup in… Poland (victory 26-24). “It’s important that we qualify now, insists captain Luka Karabatic. Thus, we will be quiet for the next window which will be played at the end of April. If there is no more stake, no more suspense, we may be able to rotate the group a little, leave players to rest. It will be a good thing for everyone. »
At the end of April, PSG players, in particular, will be a few days away from their Champions League quarter-final (May 10). At that point, all recovery ranges will be good to go. And the coach without pressure will be able to take advantage of the windfall to make a broad review of the workforce 15 months before the Olympics. There are probably not many places to take in a group that is running at full speed. But we never know. “The Olympic Games, insists Guillaume Gille, we know that they are approaching but on the other hand, they are still far away. We still have a big competition to play before. For the moment, Euro 2024 is our priority and we must not forget that. “A Euro which could start this Saturday evening in Aix-en-Provence if the Blues validate as expected their entry ticket.