Excessive-flying Juventus head to the Philips Stadion to tackle PSV Eindhoven within the second leg of their Champions League knockout playoff tie. Thiago Motta’s costs carry a slender one-goal benefit into the return fixture after snatching a 2-1 house win final week.
Juventus left it late to beat PSV on the Allianz Stadium. Weston McKennie broke the impasse within the first half, just for the Eindhoven outfit to attract stage 11 minutes after the break via ex-Inter winger Ivan Perisic. Nevertheless, second-half substitute Samuel Mbangula broke the tie within the 82nd minute at hand Juventus an important lead.
Fired up after snapping a two-game winless run within the Champions League, Juventus claimed bragging rights in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia. Porto loanee Francisco Conceciao scored halfway via the second half to topple bitter rivals Inter in Turin, inspiring the Bianconeri to their third consecutive Serie A win for the primary time beneath Motta.
PSV did not impress of their home championship final weekend. Certainly, Peter Bosz’s aspect shared the spoils with fellow Eredivisie rivals Utrecht in a goal-glutted 2-2 draw on this floor, falling two factors behind table-topping Ajax.
Extra importantly, that outcome prolonged the Peasants’ winless run in all competitions to 3 consecutive matches (D2, L1). In consequence, optimism has develop into a uncommon commodity among the many house trustworthy, which doesn’t bode properly forward of Juventus’ go to.
Match Preview
PSV Eindhoven
Juventus have established themselves as a bogey group for PSV. Bosz’s males have misplaced twice to the record-time Italian champions this season. However that is the primary time they’ll lock horns on Dutch soil, the place the Farmers excelled within the league stage.
After a 1-1 house draw in opposition to Sporting CP to get the brand new format underway, they emerged victorious from their final three house outings, dispatching Girona, Liverpool, and Shakhtar Donetsk. In doing so, PSV netted an attention-grabbing ten objectives, scoring three or extra in every win.
Given PSV’s scoring prowess on the Philips Stadion, a single-goal margin doesn’t look unassailable. Nevertheless, the Dutch powerhouse should defy historical past to progress as they’ve suffered elimination from eight of the earlier 11 Champions League ties after shedding the primary leg.
The final time they achieved that feat was in 1989/90.
Juventus
PSV’s dire kind seems to be promising from Juventus’ perspective because the guests purpose to construct on their latest resurrection. The Italians head into proceedings on a four-game profitable run in all competitions – a feat they’ve achieved for the primary time this season.
Historical past firmly backs Juventus for fulfillment. They’ve progressed from the final 20 Champions League ties when rising victorious from the primary leg. You’d want to return to 1978/79 for the final time they squandered a first-leg lead on this competitors.
Moreover, Juventus might do one thing they final did in 2016/17 after they defeated Monaco in each legs of their semi-final tie en path to the notorious Cardiff showpiece. That was the final time they received every leg of a Champions League knockout tie.
Nevertheless, Juventus haven’t fared properly on the highway recently, profitable solely two of their final ten aggressive away matches (D7, L1).
Workforce Information
USMNT trio Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman are out of the equation for at present’s conflict. However issues don’t finish there for PSV. Full-backs Rick Karsdorp and Olivier Boscagli are additionally on the sidelines, leaving Bosz strapped for choices on the again.
Then again, Juventus can’t name upon Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, and Pierre Kalulu. Randal Kolo Muani ought to begin within the entrance third forward of Dusan Vlahovic, with Renato Veiga prone to companion up with Federico Gatti on the again.
PSV Eindhoven vs Juventus Potential Beginning 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 one thing they’ve gotten their followers used to this season. Seven stalemates from their final ten highway matches spotlight the potential for an evenly contested recreation, and Motta in all probability wouldn’t thoughts sharing the spoils once more.