PSV hosts Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League qualification quarterfinals. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 21st at Philips Stadion (Eindhoven)
PSV finished second in the previous season of the Eredivisie (72 points), lagging 16 points behind the champions from Ajax Amsterdam. The club from Eindhoven will start its path to the Champions League group stage from the second qualifying round. Before the start in European competitions, PSV strengthened certain positions in the squad. The Farmers bought the goalkeeper of Twente Joel Drommel for 3.5 million euros, and the defender of Salzburg Andre Ramalho for 2.5 million euros. Beyond that, the club has signed several free agents (defender Phillipp Mwene and midfielder Davy Propper). At the same time, PSV parted ways with goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall and striker Joel Piru, who left for Swansea for two million euros. PSV has been preparing for the Champions League matches since the beginning of July. The team held four friendly matches. In the last of them, the Red-Whites defeated the Greek PAOK (1-0) at home.
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Galatasaray finished 2nd in the Turkish Super League standings (84 points). The same number of points were scored by the champions from Besiktas, who won the title thanks to the best difference between goals scored and conceded (+45 versus +44 for Galatasaray). In the Champions League, the Lions will start from the 2nd qualifying round. In the offseason, they retained the backbone of the team. Of the experienced footballers, only defenders Martin Linnes, Ryan Donk, and Sener Ozbayrakli left the club. At the same time, the club purchased the winger Baris Yilmaz from Ankara Keciirenguchu for 1.5 million euros and signed several free agents (defender Alpaslan Ozturk and midfielder Aytac Kara). After the vacation, Galatasaray held only two friendly matches. On June 27, the Istanbul team defeated Dinamo Bucharest (2-1), and on July 10, the Lions dealt with Kasimpasa (4-2).
The hosts will be the favorites of the upcoming match. PSV is confidently playing home games in European competitions. In the last ten matches in the Champions League and the Europa League, the club from Eindhoven lost only to the Spanish Granada CF (1-2) in October last year. Galatasaray has shown weak results in the last European Cup campaigns. Last season they were eliminated from the Europa League qualifiers after an away defeat to Rangers in Scotland (2-1). The Yellow-Reds are weak-willed in the away matches of the Champions League. The last away victory happened in the 2012/13 season in the match against German Schalke (2-3). The losing streak has already lasted 17 matches (three draws and 14 defeats), and it is unlikely that it will be interrupted in Eindhoven.
Prediction for the match: PSV to win
