PSV take on the visitors Sturm Graz in the first leg of UEFA Champions League qualification semifinals. The match will be played on Tuesday, August 8th at Philips Stadion (Eindhoven).
PSV decided to change the head coach again. The Farmers are rightfully considered a local football giant, but they are only one of the top three clubs and not the absolute best. There was a short period of dominance with three titles won between 2015 and 2018. However, they found themselves behind their eternal rival, Ajax, again. Under Roger Schmidt, they only managed to be the runners-up. The German coach left last summer (and immediately won the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Benfica). His successor, Ruud van Nistelrooy, made a powerful start, securing a bright victory over Ajax in Amsterdam for the Super Cup. However, despite his status as a legendary forward, Van Nistelrooy lacked coaching experience. He remained in the second position in the Eredivisie with his team, but this time under Feyenoord, and they didn't qualify for the Champions League. As a result, PSV won the cup without the young coach, and now they are led by Peter Bos, who has already had a mixed impression in the Bundesliga and with French side Lyon.
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Sturm have squeezed the maximum out of their potential at home once again. The Blackies are based in Austria, and the local Bundesliga has become one of the mono-championships with an undisputed leader. Red Bull Salzburg have been the dominant force for a long time, collecting all the football gold in Salzburg. However, under Christian Ilzer's guidance, Sturm Graz managed to become the champion of the rest of Austria both in 2022 and last spring. As a result, Sturm Graz started in the Champions League qualification last summer but didn't stay there long, losing both matches to their first opponent, Kyiv's Dynamo (strictly speaking, they exchanged home victories 1-0, but on their own turf, it turned into a 1-2 loss in extra time). Then came the remarkable Europa League performance: defeating both Midtjylland and Feyenoord and drawing twice with Lazio. Eventually, the Austrians finished in 4th place. It all came down to the unique quartet having equal points, but 8 points each, and goal difference made the difference.
Two years ago, the teams crossed paths in the Europa League, and PSV emerged stronger on both occasions. Dutch side PSV are considered the clear favorite, but let's not rush to declare a winner and focus on total under 3.0 goals.
Prediction for the match: Under 3.0 scored goals.
