The road to the Paris 2024 Games begins this Saturday. Two weeks to the day before their first match against Denmark on July 27 (9 p.m.), the French men’s handball team will take on Germany in Dortmund for a first full-scale preparation test. Having been together since mid-June, first in Tignes and then in Créteil, Les Bleus are starting their build-up to the big Olympic event, before facing Croatia on July 17.
For this match against the recent semi-finalist of the European Championship, won by France, coach Guillaume Gille will have to do without one of his leaders. Indeed, Barcelona’s Dika Mem suffered an injury to his left thumb at the beginning of the week and must still be immobilized for several days.
Dika Mem injured, Kentin Mahé recalled.
Guillaume Gille has chosen to recall Kentin Mahé who joined the French team this Wednesday lunchtime in Créteil. The coach will rely on the center half for the rest of the preparation due to Dika Mem’s injury.
Touched at… pic.twitter.com/z8CNMdG2Ln
— French Handball Teams (@FRAHandball) July 10, 2024
“Assess where we are”
While the result will obviously not be essential, the Tricolores need to deliver a big match to gain momentum according to Gille. The objective? “To assess where we are, where we are physically, where we are in the game,” the coach told AFP on Thursday. “We want to arrive at the start of the competition with maximum certainty about our game, our physical and technical abilities.”
France have lost only two of their last twelve games against the Mannschaft.
The warm-up match between Germany and France will take place on Saturday, July 13 at 5:40 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on La Chaîne L’Équipe and BeIN Sports 3.
