A pair of champions meet in Eindhoven on Tuesday night as PSV Eindhoven take on Sporting CP on Matchday 2 of the Champions League league phase.
Both sides cruised to their respective titles last season and the two teams have begun the domestic seasons with seven wins from seven matches. While Peter Bosz’s PSV remain the class of the Eredivisie, Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP are aiming to hold off Lisbon rivals Benfica and a new-look Porto.
The Portuguese team began their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Lille in Lisbon. They were aided by Angel Gomes’ first-half sending off, with Zeno Debast securing the hosts’ triumph with an outrageous strike just after the hour.
PSV, meanwhile, were knocked out of the round of 16 last season and barely beaten by eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund. However, they were stifled by Thiago Motta’s stubborn Juventus on Matchday 1, struggling to lay a glove on the stern Italians in a 3-1 defeat.
They must be improved with a rampant Sporting come to town.
Here is 90min’s guide to PSV vs Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday.
PSV vs Sporting CP H2H Record (All Time)
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch PSV vs Sporting CP on TV and live stream
PSV team news
Veteran Croatian winger Ivan Perisic made his debut for PSV at Willem II at the weekend, but the new arrival is unlikely to keep his place in the team on Tuesday.
Johan Bakayoko and Luuk de Jong were rested on Saturday with this fixture in mind.
Hirving Lozano is likely to miss out with a muscle injury, while Sergino Dest is a doubt with a knee issue. Noa Lang missed much of last season with a hamstring injury and is being eased back into the fold by Bosz.
PSV predicted lineup vs Sporting CP
PSV predicted lineup vs Sporting CP (4-3-3): Benitez; Mauro Junior, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams; Schouten, Til, Veerman; Bakayoko, De Jong, Tillman.
Sporting CP team news
The Portuguese side have impressed without Pedro Goncalves and Marcus Edwards in recent weeks, with the two players dealing with hamstring and thigh injuries respectively. Neither player is expected to make their comeback on Tuesday night.
Jerry St Juste misses out in defence, while Diogo Pinto is another injury doubt for Amorim’s men.
Viktor Gyokeres finally drew a blank during Sporting’s 3-0 victory at Estoril on Saturday, so the Swede will be keen to restore order in Eindhoven.
Sporting CP predicted lineup vs PSV (3-4-3): Israel; Debast, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Morita, Hjulmand, Santos; Trincao, Gyokeres, Catamo.
PSV vs Sporting CP score prediction
This is one of the sneaky good games of the matchday and should be a treat to watch on Tuesday night.
While these are two managers with differing ideals, always expect a little bit of chaos when Peter Bosz is around. Amorim’s Sporting will attempt to control the contest with efficient work in the build-up and a sound press, but they are also at their most destructive when they play vertically at pace.
It could be a space haven at the Philips Stadion with artificial transitions created at will. Sporting might be the superior side, but PSV have a stellar home record and will be tough to beat on their patch.
