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These are two sides that have both majorly improved in the last couple of seasons and this has the potential to be a really entertaining encounter between Dutch champions PSV and Portuguese champions Sporting.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 1st October, 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – TNT Sports / US – Paramount+
PSV PREVIEW: PETER’S PSV
The entertaining and always attacking Peter Bosz has often been criticised for being overly attacking and being a bit naïve but his PSV Eindhoven side actually come into this weekend on the back of an extremely impressive start to the season in which they have won all seven of their Eredivisie games so far this season, scoring 25 goals in the process.
They did begin their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Juventus in Turin but will believe playing at Philips Stadion should give them even more of an edge to go with their high quality. They come into this one on the back of a 2-0 defeat of Willem II in their most recent outing with goals coming from Ricardo Pepi.
SPORTING LISBON PREVIEW: SILKY SPORTING
Coached by Ruben Amorim, Sporting CP had gone 20 years without a Portuguese title but have now managed two in the last four seasons since his appointment. The exciting young coach has produced an exciting young squad capable of scoring goals for fun and now keen on making a mark in Europe’s elite club competition.
Sporting come into this one having started the Portuguese Primeira Liga season with seven wins out of seven, also, quite remarkably, scoring 25 goals in the process. Unlike PSV, though, they actually won their opening game of this competition as they cruised past Lille by two goals to nil at the Jose Alvalade a couple of weeks ago.
PSV TEAM NEWS: RIGHT-SIDE DOUBTS
Peter Bosz has put together a deep and impressive PSV squad but they do have some injury doubts for this one as Sergino Dest and Hirving Lozano both likely to remain unavailable.
Despite defeat to Juventus a couple of weeks ago, Bosz will be able to name an unchanged eleven for this one as they seek to rediscover their fluency on the European stage.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Benitez; Junior, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams; Veerman, Til, Schouten; Perisic, Pepi, Tillman
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Dest (Injured), Oppegard (Injured), Lozano (Injured)
SPORTING LISBON TEAM NEWS: NO NEED TO CHANGE
There are still a couple of doubts for this week’s clash with PSV as Diogo Pinto is joined by Jeremiah St. Juste in terms of rehabilitating from injury.
The Lisbon-based club do not have any reason to make any changes to the side that eased past Lille, though, with an importance on the attacking partnership of Pedro Goncalves and Viktor Gyokeres.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Israel; Debast, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Hjulmand, Morita, Catamo; Trincao, Goncalves; Gyokeres
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Pinto (Injured), St. Juste (Injured)
KEY STATS
PSV VS SPORTING LISBON PREDICTION
As mentioned, the two teams have scored 50 goals between them domestically already this season and they both play a similar style of football. Rising above rivals that are perhaps ‘bigger’ than them in the Netherlands and Portugal respectively, this has the potential to be a really fun game for the neutral to watch with two proactive sides not taking a backwards step and both teams scoring does seem likely.
PSV VS SPORTING LISBON TIP: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE