PSV Eindhoven Vs. Juventus Prediction: The Old Lady Has More Chance To The Last 16

JAKARTA - PSV Eindhoven and Juventus will meet again in the second leg of the Champions League play-off on Wednesday 19 February local time or Thursday morning WIB. With the advantage of aggregate 2-1 thanks to last week's victory in Turin, Juventus are now in a more favorable position to advance to the round of 16. However, PSV playing at home at the Philips Stadium will not just give up.

PSV Eindhoven almost held Juventus to a draw in their first meeting, but Samuel Mbangula's late goal in the 82nd made Peter Bosz's side have to accept a 2-1 defeat. The goal brought PSV's hopes to go home with a draw after Ivan Perisic scored the equalizer goal, as well as being the club's oldest goalscorer in Champions League history.

Despite having a bad record in the Champions League knockout phase only qualifying from three of 11 games after losing in the first legPSV still had a big chance. Moreover, they are in a positive trend at home, with an unbeaten record of 12 European matches, including a win over Girona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Liverpool.

On the other hand, Juventus are in good form after winning four games in a row in all competitions. Despite only occupying 20th place in the Champions League group stage, history shows that they always qualify in the last 20 knockout matches when they managed to win in the first leg.

PSV has had an incredible, unbeaten home record since November 2022 and has always scored goals in the last two years at the Philips Stadium. However, they faced a huge challenge after winning just two of the last eight Eredivisie games, missing the top spot of the standings now under Ajax.

Meanwhile, Juventus are rising from a difficult period that has resulted in only one win in eight games. However, they have now returned to winning ways by beating Inter Milan at Derby d'Italia and recording three consecutive league wins for the first time in a year.

PSV had to play without several key players, including Ricardo Pepi who suffered a knee injury and was absent until the end of the season. Sergino Dest and Malik Tillman are also still recovering from long-term injuries. In addition, Rick Karsdorp and Olivier Boscagli are also doubtful about appearing due to muscle injuries.

Instead, Mauro Junior, Richard Ledezma, and badminton Malacia who are borrowed from Manchester United will compete for a place in the starting lineup. Luuk de Jong, PSV's top scorer this season, is expected to lead the home team's attacking line.

In the Juventus camp, coach Thiago Motta is likely to make some changes to his line-up. Dusan Vlahovic's flagship striker doesn't seem to be in the master plan, so Randal Kolo Muani, who has scored five goals in five games since joining Paris Saint-Germain, is expected to spearhead.

Midfielder Manuel Locatelli, Kenan Yildiz, and defender Andrea Cambiaso have the potential to enter the starting lineup after impressed in recent matches. However, Juve still had to lose several players due to injury, including Bremer, Juan Cabal, Arkadiusz Milik, Pierre Kalulu, and Douglas Luiz.

With a strong home record, PSV will try to take advantage of supporters' support to pressure Juventus from the start. Luuk de Jong will be a key player in creating chances, while Ivan Perisic can pose a threat from midfield with his experience at the highest level.

However, Juventus have an aggregate advantage and are more experienced in big games like this. A solid defensive line as well as the creativity of Weston McKennie and Kenan Yildiz can be a differentiating factor. Randal Kolo Muani, who is in sharp form, could be the biggest threat to the PSV defense.

Seeing the condition of the two teams, Juventus is likely to play more carefully and try to steal goals through a quick counter-attack. If they are able to score first, then PSV will be under great pressure to score two goals in order to qualify.

PSV Eindhoven (4-2-3-1): Benitez; Ledezma, Flamingo, Obispo, Junior; Schouten,men; Bakayoko, Saibari, Perisic; De Jong

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Weah, Gatti, Veiga, Cambiaso; Thuram, Locatelli; Gonzalez, McKennie, Yildiz; Kolo Muani

Score Prediction: PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Juventus (Aggregate: 2-3)