This Tuesday, PSV Eindhoven and Girona clash in the Champions League, with both sides in desperate need of an important win to move up the table. With three matches played and both teams lying outside playoff positions, securing maximum points remains of utmost importance to keep hopes alive. Here’s a detailed preview of this upcoming tie.
Match Preview
PSV Eindhoven
Having secured a domestic dominance in the Eredivisie, where PSV Eindhoven won their opening 10 games of the season before being defeated by Ajax, their Champions League campaign tells a different story. The 3-1 defeat at Juventus was followed by two 1-1 draws against Sporting Lisbon and Paris Saint-Germain. On the last matchday, they took an early lead through Noa Lang against PSG but eventually shared the points.
Despite being in good form in the Dutch league, where they topped the table last season with 91 points, a record, PSV has found European home matches tough to overcome, having only managed a single win in their last 12 home Champions League games. A victory over Girona can hopefully propel them into a playoff position in their group-an essential boost for their quest for success in European competition.
Girona
Girona is eager to leave their mark on their first ever European campaign. Having gone through a close defeat to PSG, 1-0, and then another one with a score of 3-2 to Feyenoord, they came back in full force with a 2-0 win over Slovan Bratislava. In this match, wing-back Miguel Gutiérrez was the star of the night, first scoring the opening goal and then fashioning a number of other chances.
Head coach Michel may be inexperienced in European competition, but he has taken Girona to their best ever finish in La Liga and steadied the ship after a poor start to this campaign. Girona goes into this match on the back of a pulsating 4-3 victory over Leganés, where Gutiérrez once again found the net. Having recorded four victories from their last six outings, Girona will be hoping to keep their recent run of wins going.
Team News
PSV Eindhoven
There are some injury worries for PSV going into this fixture: Jerdy Schouten can be ruled out, with a hamstring injury, just like Joey Veerman, who recently suffered a groin injury. Hirving Lozano is also unavailable due to muscular concerns while Sergiño Dest remains out with his knee injury. The positive news is that Ivan Perisic returned against Ajax and netted PSV’s second goal of the game as PSV lost 3-2.
Luuk de Jong will lead PSV’s attack. He looks pretty dangerous in the air as he won 14 of his 15 duels in their last Champions League outing. He may be joined by either Johan Bakayoko or Perisic as Noa Lang and Malik Tillman look to be sure starters.
Girona
Girona have their own share of injury troubles, though, with the likes of Cristian Portu, Viktor Tsygankov, Yaser Asprilla, Jhon Solis, Abel Ruiz, Ivan Martin, and goalkeeper Pau Lopez all ruled out for this tie. However, Oriol Romeu returned from a thigh injury last weekend and could start on Thursday.
Predicted Lineups
PSV
Benitez; Karsdorp, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams; Tillman, Saibari; Perisic, Til, Lang; De Jong
Girona
Gazzaniga; Juanpe, D. Lopez, Krejci; Martinez, Herrera, Romeu, Gutierrez; Van de Beek, Gil; Miovski
Prediction: PSV Eindhoven 2-1 Girona
With their good form in the league and attack, PSV are likely favourites coming into this game despite their Champions League struggles. An injury-hit Girona squad might struggle to keep out PSV’s offense as the home team wins narrowly 2-1 in what should be an exciting high-tempo game.
