This game will decide who progresses to the final round of qualifying for the Champions League and who will face either Rangers or Servette to book themselves a place in the group stage.
Sturm Graz have it all to do this Tuesday as they look to complete the impossible and overcome a 4-1 defeat when they travelled to the Netherlands.
Key Takeaways
- Despite the heavy defeat against PSV in the reverse fixture, Sturm Graz are unbeaten at home in the last 10 matches, winning 9 of them
- PSV Eindhoven are in high spirits, having just won the Johan Cruijff Shield over fellow Dutch powerhouses Feyenoord
- Both teams finished in 2nd place in their respective domestic leagues last season
PSV Eindhoven Form
New boss Peter Bosz has guided PSV to an unbeaten start this term and, having already won silverware for his side, will want to press on and make a statement of intent for his team going forward.
Their most recent fixture was against Eredivisie rivals FC Utrecht, where they romped to a comfortable 2-0 victory with a Noa Lang goal just before half-time and a Yorbe Vertessen strike to seal the deal in the 77th minute. Bosz has his team set up to dominate possession of the ball and they have done so by recording greater than 50% possession in each of their three competitive fixtures so far this season.
Sturm Graz Form
Aside from the heavy defeat to PSV, Sturm Graz have started well, undefeated in the Austrian Bundesliga and with only 1 draw, they also recorded a whopping 7-2 victory in the Austrian Cup 3 weeks ago.
With a 3-0 victory over Austria Wien and then a 2-0 victory over LASK, there are certainly goals in the side.
Head-to-Head
In the previous 3 meetings between these sides, all of the results have gone PSV’s way, which will do a world of good for their confidence and the exact opposite for the Austrian side, who will look to make club history and fight to earn a victory for the first time in this fixtures history
Team News
PSV will be without the banned Mauro Junio who still has a one-game suspension to serve after being sent off against Sevilla in the Europa League last year. PSV will have to make further changes in defence with both Frederik Oppegard and Armando Obispo will both be absent.
Sturm Graz will be able to field a mostly full-strength side if everyone remains fit. There are a few wobbly players but the only definite absentee will be Manprit Sarkaria.
Key Players
Since returning to the Dutch leagues, Anwar El Ghazi’s form has almost earned him an international call up, he will be hoping to build on an impressive start to his life at PSV with another strong season and has been a remarkably effective super-sub at times for his club.
A new arrival at Sturm Graz, 20-year-old Polish striker Szymon Wlodarczyk has 5 goals from 5 appearances so far and will want to continue this blistering form and get his name out there as he marches towards a Polish international call-up. This will be a real test for him, to see if he can find the net against larger European opposition, but he may be a doubt after being taken off at half time in their last game.
Final Thoughts
A 3 goal deficit is a huge task for any club, but with PSV’s pedigree and depth, this looks like a bridge too far for the Austrian side, they have no choice but to go for it and hope for the best and PSV will see an opportunity to make a real statement for their likely opponents in Rangers or Servette in the final round.
UEFA Champions League
Bundesliga
Eredivisie