PSV Eindhoven v Lille OSC, UEFA Europa League – preview
PSV Eindhoven
Dutch Eredivisie giants, PSV Eindhoven will be thinking that they already have one foot in the Europa League Round of 16, as they managed to claim a 2–2 stalemate in the first leg encounter against Lille OSC at Stade Lille-Metropole.
The Red White Army should count themselves lucky, as they escaped a scare in their first leg against the French outfit. Two goals from Wilfred Bouma and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ola-Toivonen-c28363 in the dying minutes of the match somehow secured a result for the Boeren, as they were
outclassed on the pitch by the French outfit.
Despite claiming a positive result, PSV manager Fred Rutten was not pleased with his side’s show on the pitch.
Rutten has warned his players for the upcoming tie, as his side still needs to claim a good result to qualify for the next phase of the competition. He said, “We always look at ourselves and prepare ourselves for the clash with Lille. They are a class side
with their own approach of play. We have the edge ahead of the second leg following previous week's 2 – 2 draw in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899. However, Lille are a quality side with technically skilled players. We don't want to fall into their catch. We've attained good results
in Europe. We'll hopefully reap the rewards Thursday night”.
The Boeren are slight favourites to progress to the Round of 16, as they clash with the French outfit in the Europa League Round of 32 second leg encounter at Philips Stadion. The home side will play their 101st match in the European competitions
and will be looking to achieve a landmark 50th victory in front of their home crowd.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lille-OSC-c39800
Les Dogues were stunned last week in their Europa League encounter against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281, when they conceded two goals in the dying minutes of the match in front of their home crowd. LOSC’s focus was completely shattered with the Europa League draw as the Ligue 1
leaders lost their domestic encounter against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Montpellier-HSC-c39945.
Despite the loss, they remain atop the Ligue 1 table.
LOSC’s form in the Europe’s secondary football competition has remained erratic so far. Many expected the French outfit to be eliminated in the group stages, but the Mastiffs squeezed through after finishing second in their group. However, Les Dogues will
have to lift their game if they want to keep their European dreams alive.
Team manager, Rudi Garcia, will be looking to bounce back from their 1–0 defeat to Montpelier in with a win in the return leg at Eindhoven. Garcia has demanded a strong performance from his side in their upcoming fixture against the Eredivisie leaders PSV.
He said, “We will now measure our ability to react”.
The Mastiffs will play a European fixture in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Netherlands-c753 for the first time on Thursday evening. Les Dogues have a poor away record in Europe, as they have won only once in their last nine away fixtures. Garcia will be hoping to improve the woeful record
and qualify for the next round.
Team news
PSV Eindhoven
Rutten will have an almost full strength squad to choose from. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jonathan-c18993 Reis is the only absentee as he is sidelined with a knee injury.
Lille OSC
Garcia’s side has been given a boost as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mathieu-Debuchy-c24682 has returned from his injury and will be available to play in this encounter. Adil Remy’s inclusion in the starting eleven is still doubtful as he is yet to recover from an injury.
Players to watch
The 24-year old winger, Balazs Dzsudzsak, is currently the leading goal scorer for his side, scoring 13 goals in 24 league matches. The Winger has also assisted 12 goals this season. Dzsudzsak will be the Boeren’s talisman in this game.
The 23-year old striker, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gervinho-c14755, will be looking to add more goals to his tally, as his side needs his goal scoring abilities the most. He will be the man for Lille, who can threaten the Boeren’s back line.
Prediction
Lille were the favourites to win in the first leg encounter at Stade Lille-Metropole, but they were outdone by the Boeren in the dying minutes of the match. PSV will be the favourites to win the match 2 – 1, as they are having a good season playing in front
of their home crowd.
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