Paris (AFP)

The French handball team will need Nikola Karabatic "in steamroller mode" to get the title at the Euro, and the Olympic ticket that goes with it, from Friday in Norway, then in Sweden if all goes well well.

It is precisely "like that" that the winger Valentin Porte has seen since the start of the season with the Paris SG. "It's all good for the French team! He is sharp and motivated like never before. We follow him and he will be one of our driving forces," said the Montpellier.

What a difference with the Karabatic from a year ago! Operated in the previous October with a hallux valgus (an onion on the toe), the star had not prepared for the World Cup and was not on the plane to Berlin. He had only joined his comrades during the tournament and his influence there was limited. Even if it was he who had scored in the last second the goal of the bronze medal against Germany in Herning (Denmark).

- Again striker -

"I am very happy to be there and 100% available. Glad to have put my injury from last year behind me and to have been able to return more or less to my best level," said the player, aged 35, who has already scored more goals (39) in a Starligue half-season than during the entire 2018-2019 fiscal year (29).

His presence with the Blues facilitated the approach to the Euro. "Last year, without Niko, we had a lot of things to review in a few days and it was quite complicated. We are very happy that he is there. It is Nikola Karabatic and not an average player! "said Nedim Remili, his teammate at PSG.

Karabatic made two good preparation matches against Serbia (40-26 victory Friday in Metz) and Denmark (31-30 defeat Sunday in Paris), before the departure for Trondheim where the French will start their tournament against Portugal (18h15) .

"He showed what he can bring offensively (2 goals against the Serbs then 4 against the Danes, editor's note), defensively and on the ball climbs, on the defensive back," said Nedim Remili.

Karabatic expects "a complicated adventure" in Scandinavia. "We are going to face almost three host countries. Norway (in Trondheim), Sweden (in Malmö) and Denmark (in Malmö too) who will only have to cross a bridge to be at home (Copenhagen is located just in face, note) ".

- Without Luka for now -

The great craftsman of the most beautiful epic of handball (and perhaps sport) French between 2006 and 2017 (2 Olympic titles, 4 world, 3 European), is convinced that the current decline, which must be put into perspective because France is climbing on the third step of the podium at Euro-2018 and World-2019, may not last long.

"We had already had a little bit of a dip after the 2012 Olympics. Some players had stopped, there had been a small change of generation and we went out to quarters at the World Cup. But we had known how to react from Euro-2014 We are a bit in the same phase. This team has all the talent and all the individual potential to achieve this too. "

The Euro will start without his younger brother, pivot Luka, who finds himself in a little the same situation as him last year: absent from preparation following a hand injury, but present on the extended list of 28 for possible integration along the way. Building on his experience from last year, Nikola advised him to do the utmost to be ready. "It's always worth it!"

© 2020 AFP