Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven will be desperate to secure three points when they clash at Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
The UEFA Champions League resumes this week with Matchday 3 of the 2024/25 season. One of the most eye-catching games of the latest round of fixtures will come on Tuesday, with PSG welcoming PSV Eindhoven at Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the UEFA Champions League by winning the 2023/24 Ligue 1 title. They began their European campaign with a narrow 1-0 over Girona. However, they fell in the standings after losing 2-0 to Arsenal on Matchday 2. In addition, Luis Enrique’s men have been inconsistent in domestic football in recent weeks, dropping points in two of their last four league games to allow AS Monaco to come level on points at the top of the table.
As for PSV Eindhoven, they qualified for the UEFA Champions League by winning the 2023/24 Eredivisie title. However, they have been slow off the blocks in Europe, losing 3-1 to Juventus on Matchday 1 before allowing Sporting CP to hold them to a 1-1 draw. That has left Peter Bosz’s men 24th in the standings. Meanwhile, they have been excellent in domestic football thus far, winning all nine games to sit atop the league table.
Tuesday’s match will be the first-ever clash featuring PSG and PSV Eindhoven. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the maiden meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
PSG
Luis Enrique does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, the PSG manager might be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Enrique continues to sweat over the fitness of Randal Kolo Muani, who has a sprained ankle and might not be fit enough to start against PSV Eindhoven. In addition, Lucas Hernandez (knee), Presnel Kimpembe (achilles), and Goncalo Ramos (ankle) remain on the sidelines.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is an automatic pick between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday. The backline will feature Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, and Nuno Mendes.
As for the midfield unit, Vitinha will sit at the base, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park and pull the strings. Warren Zaire-Emery and Joao Neves will provide the forward thrust, with the former being the creative force for the home side. Finally, a fluid attack will feature Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembele.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Dembele, Asensio, Barcola
PSV Eindhoven
Like his counterpart in the Paris Saint-Germain dugout, Peter Bosz has a few pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Parc des Princes. The PSV Eindhoven manager will likely be without five first-team players.
Sergino Dest (knee) and Hirving Lozano (muscular) are closing in on returning but were not fit enough to make the travelling squad. In addition, Rick Karsdorp (knock), Jerdy Schouten (knee) and Joey Veerman (groin) are unavailable to take on PSG.
Walter Benitez will take his usual spot between the sticks, with PSV Eindhoven lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against PSG on Tuesday. The backline will feature Ryan Flamingo, Olivier Boscagli, Mauro Junior, and Adamo Nagalo, with the latter starting as the makeshift right-back in Karsdorp and Dest’s absence.
As for the midfield unit, Schouten and Veerman’s absence will hurt, with Guus Til, Malik Tillman, and Ismael Saibari forming the trifecta in the middle of the park. Finally, Luuk de Jong will lead the line for the away side against PSG, with Noa Lang and Johan Bakayoko being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Benitez; Nagalo, Flamingo, Boscagli, Junior; Til, Saibari, Tillman; Bakayoko, de Jong, Lang
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s match will be Paris Saint-Germain’s first-ever European meeting with PSV Eindhoven. In the UEFA Champions League, PSG’s only outings against a Dutch outfit were vs Ajax in the 2014/15 group stage (1-1 away, won 3-1 at home). Meanwhile, the Eredivisie champions have picked up only two wins in 18 away major European visits to French clubs (D9 L7), beating AS Monaco 2-0 in the Champions League in March 2005 and Bordeaux 1-0 in the Champions League in September 2006.
- PSG have only lost one of their last 37 home games in the group/league stage of the UEFA Champions League (W29 D7), with that lone defeat coming against Manchester United in October 2020 (1-2). Real Madrid were the last team to stop PSG from finding the back of the net in the group/league stage in October 2015 (0-0), with Les Parisiens netting in 26 outings in a row since then.
- PSV Eindhoven have only won one of their last 18 away matches in the UEFA Champions League (D5 L12), with that one triumph coming away to Sevilla in the group stage in 2023/24 (3-2). The Dutch giants have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 11 away trips in the competition, conceding an average of 2.5 goals per game (27 overall).
- Since the start of last season, PSG have hit the woodwork on 17 occasions across 14 games in the UEFA Champions League. That is the most of any side in this period and five more than the team with the next best (Manchester City, 12).
- PSV have made the most “high turnovers” of any side in the UEFA Champions League this season (32), while they have also generated the most shots (8) and joint-most goals (2) in this manner when recovering the ball high up the field.
Player to Watch
Ousmane Dembele
Recent weeks brought concerns surrounding Ousmane Dembele and his future after his run-ins with Luis Enrique. However, recent outings have pointed to water under the bridge, with the two parties sorting out their differences.
With PSG not having a better game-changer than the Frenchman, his output will dictate how the home side will fare against PSV Eindhoven this midweek. So, Luis Enrique might hope Dembele has one of his better teams, considering the former Barcelona attacker is streaky.
Prediction
PSG 1-0 PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven might have had the quality to hold PSG to a draw this week or even get the better of the Ligue 1 champions had Peter Bosz had Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman in his squad at Parc des Princes. However, with both players unavailable, the hosts have a sizeable advantage for the midweek UEFA Champions League fixture.
While PSV Eindhoven will give the French champions a run for their money, they will not have the quality to contain the home side or get past Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Luis Enrique’s men will not blow away their opposition, managing a narrow 1-0 victory on Tuesday.
