‘Home Advantage Could Play A Part In Eindhoven’
- PSV Eindhoven host Leicester City in the UEFA Europa Conference League
- Thursday’s quarter-final second leg is a 5:45pm kick-off at PSV Stadion
- Writer for Football Oranje, Michael Statham, believes the tie is in the balance
- He adds that PSV could utilise home advantage given their strong record
The return tie at PSV Stadion in Eindhoven on Thursday (5:45pm kick-off) is shaping up to be an enthralling contest as the two sides battle it out for a spot in the semi-finals of the inaugural competition.
Given the pre-match talk about the goal threats and defensive fragilities within both teams, few had predicted the goalless stalemate that played out on Filbert Way. Offering his assessment of how an intriguing first leg panned out, Statham felt that the visitors came away the happier team.
“The 0-0 draw surprised me,” he told LCFC Radio’s Matchday Live show ahead of the game. “It was a decent quality match, but I think both sides were a little tentative in terms of going for a goal. You saw how evenly matched they were, but home advantage will play a big part, which is why Leicester were able to carve out better opportunities in the first leg.
“I think PSV saw it, after they couldn’t pinch a goal in the second half, as a great result. In the end, they were able to take a few players off and essentially keep it to a one-off tie in the second leg.
“Early on there were some good chances from PSV, some good play, and then throughout Ibrahim Sangaré was excellent in centre midfield. He will again play in the second leg and be a difficult one to get past.
“Being more defensively resolute will please Roger Schmidt. I thought it was something that Leicester would try and take advantage of – they still could in the second leg – but Leicester did have the better, clear-cut chances and they’ll be ruing those misses going into the second leg because it’s a big challenge for them up in Eindhoven.
“There were PSV players who did play well in that match but some of the players who were given a big billing before kick-off, it was a big test to prove that they could play on a big European stage against an English club, particularly those players who are linked with potential moves to England.”
The journalist explained why he thinks the Dutch side could now have the edge with their supporters behind them creating an intimidating atmosphere in Eindhoven. Like City, PSV triumphed back in the league on Sunday, defeating RKC Waalwijk 2-0, extending their winning run to four home matches in Eredivisie.
He continued: “PSV are so strong at home and could be confident of taking back a draw. They just have so much of the ball at home, they really dominate the possession, and they play a wide game. It leaves them open to the counter attack but it’s up to teams to punish them on that.
“They do like to get a lot of bodies into the box and use both wings with players getting out wide and the full-backs getting really far forward. It’s just a different style of play, they are really on the front foot and put a lot of teams under pressure.
“The atmosphere does help. They’ve got one of the best atmospheres in the Netherlands for sure and, before kick-off, the lightning will be there, the music will be there, and they’ll give it their all.”
While Leicester opted to make seven changes to the team that played Crystal Palace in the Premier League, PSV manager Roger Schmidt also successfully rotated his side at the weekend. With the KNVB Cup Final just three days after their European clash with the Foxes, it is a crucial and defining week in the club’s season.
“The Dutch Cup Final is coming up on Sunday for PSV,” Statham added. “So they have two massive matches and I think this quarter-final with Leicester and the final are both held in high regard, and I don’t think one is favoured over the other. PSV want to win both, and they’ll need all their best players fit.
“PSV want to get one over on Ajax again. They did in the Dutch Super Cup at the beginning of the season, but in the league, they’ve lost both of their games against Ajax. Therefore, they’ve got something to prove. They want to win silverware, it’s something Roger Schmidt hasn’t really yet been able to do.
“The Dutch Cup Final is a great opportunity, but PSV also want to taste European success. Their season is still going for sure. His rotation policy may well be that he needs to have his best players on for the whole 90 minutes for a change, but he has got some weapons on the bench.
“We saw in the first leg that he can mix it up. They’ve got a lot of attacking players that they can play. It’s something we saw flashes of in the first leg, but I still think they’ve got so much more to show. I do think Leicester will be dangerous on the counter attack, but let’s see what happens.”
All times BST.