Verdict: Both teams to score
Best Odds: 4/6
Bookmaker: Bet365
Two sides who are still looking for their first win in this year’s Champions League group stage, Tottenham will travel to Philips Stadion on Wednesday when they face a revitalized PSV side.
PSV
Starting with Tuesday’s hosts, although PSV have had a tendency to struggle over the past few years on the European stage, Mark van Bommel has seen his side start the new campaign very brightly. Already sat five points clear at the top of the Eredivisie table, the defending Dutch champions have also been in emphatic form in the final third. Scoring 10 in their last two outings, there attacking style of play has been epitomized by the form of their attacking trio. Between them, Luke de Jong, Gastón Pereiro, and World Cup star Hirving Lozano have already scored 23 times. With the mood high around the Philips Stadion, Van Bommel will be desperate to turn around their recent record in the Champions League. PSV have now failed to win any of their last 10 appearances in Europe, the worst run in the club’s history.
Team News
PSV Eindhoven’s Ryan Thomas is sidelined with a serious knee injury, but Van Bommel should be able to name his strongest starting lineup for the visit of the Premier League side.
Tottenham
As for Mauricio Pochetino’s Tottenham side, while this may be their best start to a Premier League campaign, it has been far from as convincing as the Argentinian would have wished for. Managing to pick up just two 1-0 wins over Cardiff and West Ham, it has been their form in the Champions League that will be the biggest concern for the Spurs manager. Yet to pick up a single point in this years competition, they’re coming off the back of shipping four at home to Barcelona and also suffering late heartbreak at the San Siro last month. In fact, Spurs’ defensive record is the second worst in the group stage, they also share that spot with PSV. In desperate need of a win if they stand any chance of reaching the group stage, the Whites will be boosted by their recent record against Dutch opposition. Tottenham have are now unbeaten in their last eight away matches.
Team News
Danny Rose, Dele Alli and Jan Vertonghen remain out for Tottenham.
However, Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele are available to start. Eriksen had missed four games with an abdominal injury before coming on as a late substitute at West Ham on Saturday, while Dembele also came off the bench after recovering from a thigh problem.
Key Factors to Consider
- The only previous meetings between PSV and Tottenham were in the last 16 of the 2007-08 Uefa Cup. Both sides won 1-0 away from home, before PSV progressed 6-5 via a penalty shootout.
- PSV have won just two of their last 15 Champions League games against English opponents (Arsenal in February 2007 and Manchester United in September 2015), having won their first three such matches in the competition.
- PSV are winless in each of their last 10 Champions League games (drawn four, lost six) – their worst ever run in the competition.
- Spurs have lost their last three European matches, all in the Champions League – they’ve never lost four consecutive major European matches in a row.
- Only Viktoria Plzen (7) have conceded more goals in this season’s Champions League than both PSV and Spurs (6).
Conclusion
On paper, it has all the makings of a game that will produce plenty of chances at both ends of the pitch. Given both sides attacking approach, combined with their worrying defensive issues in Europe, it is hard to see either side leaving with a clean sheet on Wednesday, Backing both teams to score certainly seems like the smartest bet here.
Verdict: Both teams to score
Best Odds: 4/6
Bookmaker: Bet365
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