Champions League Preview: PSV Eindhoven vs Juventus – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

High-flying Juventus head to the Philips Stadion to take on PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their Champions League knockout playoff tie. Thiago Motta’s charges carry a narrow one-goal advantage into the return fixture after snatching a 2-1 home win last week.

Juventus left it late to beat PSV at the Allianz Stadium. Weston McKennie broke the deadlock in the first half, only for the Eindhoven outfit to draw level 11 minutes after the break through ex-Inter winger Ivan Perisic. However, second-half substitute Samuel Mbangula broke the tie in the 82nd minute to hand Juventus a crucial lead.

Fired up after snapping a two-game winless run in the Champions League, Juventus claimed bragging rights in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia. Porto loanee Francisco Conceciao scored midway through the second half to topple bitter rivals Inter in Turin, inspiring the Bianconeri to their third consecutive Serie A win for the first time under Motta.

PSV failed to impress in their domestic championship last weekend. Indeed, Peter Bosz’s side shared the spoils with fellow Eredivisie rivals Utrecht in a goal-glutted 2-2 draw on this ground, falling two points behind table-topping Ajax.

More importantly, that result extended the Peasants’ winless run in all competitions to three consecutive matches (D2, L1). As a result, optimism has become a rare commodity among the home faithful, which doesn’t bode well ahead of Juventus’ visit.

Match Preview

PSV Eindhoven

Juventus have established themselves as a bogey team for PSV. Bosz’s men have lost twice to the record-time Italian champions this season. But this is the first time they’ll lock horns on Dutch soil, where the Farmers excelled in the league stage.

After a 1-1 home draw against Sporting CP to get the new format underway, they emerged victorious from their last three home outings, dispatching Girona, Liverpool, and Shakhtar Donetsk. In doing so, PSV netted an eye-catching ten goals, scoring three or more in each win.

Given PSV’s scoring prowess at the Philips Stadion, a single-goal margin doesn’t look unassailable. However, the Dutch powerhouse must defy history to progress as they’ve suffered elimination from eight of the previous 11 Champions League ties after losing the first leg.

The last time they achieved that feat was in 1989/90.

Juventus

PSV’s dire form looks promising from Juventus’ point of view as the visitors aim to build on their recent resurrection. The Italians head into proceedings on a four-game winning run in all competitions – a feat they’ve achieved for the first time this season.

History firmly backs Juventus for success. They have progressed from the last 20 Champions League ties when emerging victorious from the first leg. You’d need to go back to 1978/79 for the last time they squandered a first-leg lead in this competition.

Furthermore, Juventus could do something they last did in 2016/17 when they defeated Monaco in both legs of their semi-final tie en route to the infamous Cardiff showpiece. That was the last time they won each leg of a Champions League knockout tie.

However, Juventus have not fared well on the road lately, winning only two of their last ten competitive away matches (D7, L1).

Team News

USMNT trio Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman are out of the equation for today’s clash. But problems don’t end there for PSV. Full-backs Rick Karsdorp and Olivier Boscagli are also on the sidelines, leaving Bosz strapped for options at the back.

On the other hand, Juventus cannot call upon Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, and Pierre Kalulu. Randal Kolo Muani should start in the front third ahead of Dusan Vlahovic, with Renato Veiga likely to partner up with Federico Gatti at the back.

PSV Eindhoven vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups

PSV Eindhoven (4-2-3-1): Benitez; Ledezma, Flamingo, Obispo, Junior; Schouten, Veerman; Bakayoko, Saibari, Perisic; De Jong.

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Weah, Gatti, Veiga, Cambiaso; Thuram, Locatelli; Gonzalez, McKennie, Yildiz; Kolo Muani.

PSV Eindhoven vs Juventus Prediction

A draw will do the trick for Juventus, and that’s something they’ve gotten their fans used to this season. Seven stalemates from their last ten road matches highlight the potential for an evenly contested game, and Motta probably wouldn’t mind sharing the spoils again.