PSV Eindhoven vs BATE Borisov 30/08/18

30 August 2018

A tight 3-2 victory over BATE Borisov in Belarus has given PSV Eindhoven a nice advantage ahead of the return leg that will take place at the Philips Stadion in the midweek. The Farmers have opened the season on the wrong foot, losing to Feyenoord in the Dutch Super Cup, after which they notably raised the form, achieving three straight wins in the Eredivisie, including a 2-1 win over Zwolle last weekend, thanks to a Luuk de Jong’s goal in the 92nd minute. However, apart from a 4-0 win over Fortuna Sittard on the opening matchday, Mark van Bommel’s side failed to keep a clean sheet, which may be their main problem in this encounter. On the other hand, the Yellow-Blues, who managed to go past HJK Helsinki and Qarabag in two previous Champions League qualifying rounds, played out an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Vitebsk at home last weekend, as Alyaksey Baha opted to shake things up a bit ahead of the most significant match of the season. The Belarusian team have reached the Champions League group stage five times over the last ten years, but they need to come up with something special if looking to repeat the similar success now.

Ramon Pascal Lundqvist, Ryan Thomas, and Maximiliano Romero are all sidelined in the home squad due to injuries. As for the visitors, Baha will have all of his players fit and ready for a trip to Holland.