PSV Eindhoven’s Fred Rutten confident to overturn three goals deficit against SL Benfica
Fred Rutten, PSV Eindhoven manager, is looking confident to overturn three goals deficit against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/SL-Benfica-c40542 in the return leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-final. The Boeren will take on the Eagles at the Philips Stadion on Thursday, 14 April.
Rutten has demanded strong performance from his troops in front of their home crowd and endeavoured to progress through to the semi-finals of the Europe’s secondary club competition. Rutten troops went down 4-1 to the Eagles in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Portugal-c2984 last week and it
looks like a mountain to climb for the Eredivisie outfit to advance to the last four Europa League sides.
However, Rutten has refused to lose hope and believes that his troops can still make up in the return leg at their home soil.
Rutten said, “We'll try and score an early goal, as that would give us a confidence boost against a very tough side. It's not easy to do that, though, so we must stay sharp and alert.”
The Boeren are missing a host of key players from their starting eleven, as Wilfred Bouma and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Orlando-Engelaar-c28669 will sit out their suspension.
Rutten added, “Bouma is not 100 per cent fit and he'll have a late fitness test before a decision is made. Toivonen is not playing. I've said we need a fully fit squad to get a good result, and in Lisbon we conceded two clumsy goals on the stroke of half-time
and deep into added time. We have to be realistic with our injuries and suspensions, but sometimes players who have been used less have more motivation.”
PSV have played impressively throughout the season in front of their home crowd. They have lost only twice from their 16 matches at the Philips Stadion. The Boeren have also scored 47 goals and conceded 14 while playing at their home turf. They are unbeaten
in their last 12 matches in Eindhoven that gives a lot of confidence and hope to the fans.
However, Rutten knows that it will not be an easy task to beat an impressive Portuguese Liga side with a margin of three goals without conceding more than a goal. The 48-year-old tactician is full of confidence and has not lost hope which is a good sign.
Despite http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 missing many of their first team players for the upcoming clash, Rutten’s confidence seems to be a morale-booster for his troops.
Nevertheless, the Eagles are the favourites to qualify for the semi-finals, but if Rutten’s troops perform to their full potential, the result could very well see huge celebrations in Eindhoven.
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