(Football news) PSV will play opponents that made it out of this season’s “Group of Death” in their first Champions League knockout match in eight years. After losing three straight times in qualifying before, PSV made a successful comeback earlier this season, coming in second to Arsenal in a contested Group B.
The club’s 15-game drought without a win in the Champions League group stage came to an end with a victory against Lens, and they have now won six of their previous eight European games at Eindhoven. They have also held Sevilla and Arsenal to home draws to maintain their remarkable unbeaten streak at Philips Stadion.
Now making a fifth appearance in the knockout phase – and only their second in 17 seasons – PSV are trying to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2007.
Fired by captain Luuk de Jong, who has bagged 27 goals in 34 appearances, Peter Bosz presides over a side that are yet to lose in 22 league matches this term, winning no fewer than 20.
After finishing second in the Eredivisie for a third straight year, PSV’s 17-game winning streak to start this season was only ended by January’s 1-1 draw at Utrecht, shortly before they went down 1-0 to Feyenoord in the KNVB Cup. After Friday’s 2-0 defeat of Heracles, they went 13 points clear at the top of the table.
Clearly a force to be reckoned with under ex-Dortmund coach Bosz, the Dutch giants now meet Borussia Dortmund for the first time since the 2002-03 Champions League group stage, and gaining a lead ahead of next month’s return leg will be their main aim.
Borussia Dortmund finished first in a hotly contested Group F before Christmas, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and Newcastle United, despite the fact that their domestic season has not gone quite as smoothly as PSV’s.
Die Schwarzgelben’s campaign began with a 2-0 loss in Paris, followed by a 0-0 draw at home against Milan. They then turned things around by defeating Newcastle and securing advancement with a 3-1 victory at San Siro.
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