Fresh from commencing their 2023-24 season with a Dutch Super Cup success, PSV Eindhoven host Austrian giants Sturm Graz in the first leg of their third-round Champions League qualifying tie on Tuesday at the Philips Stadion.
Both teams finished second in their domestic leagues last term, although the visitors' continental nous pales in comparison to PSV's prior European experience.
Match preview
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Life under Ruud van Nistelrooy at PSV was ostensibly all well and good for the Eindhoven giants last term, as the former Manchester United striker led the Lightbulbs to a KNVB-Beker and Dutch Super Cup double while also achieving a second-placed Eredivisie finish behind Feyenoord.
However, with just one game remaining in the domestic campaign, Van Nistelrooy surprisingly announced his resignation due to a lack of perceived support from the powers-that-be, citing disagreements over "internal affairs" in the premature divorce.
Now under the wing of Dutchman Peter Bosz - who took Lyon to the 2021-22 Europa League quarter-finals before his inevitable sacking in the early stages of last term - PSV have at least started the post-Van Nistelrooy era in ideal fashion, denying Feyenoord another slice of silverware in the Dutch Super Cup.
A solitary goal from new signing Noa Lang - signed from Club Brugge to replace Paris Saint-Germain returnee Xavi Simons - propelled PSV to Super Cup glory at De Kuip last Friday, and the Lightbulbs now endeavour to end a recent Champions League qualifying curse.
Last reaching the group stage in the 2018-19 campaign, PSV have since failed to make it through the preliminary rounds four times in a row, getting as far as the playoff round in each of the last two seasons before coming up short against Benfica and, most recently, Rangers.
Over in Austria, the Red Bull Salzburg juggernaut often proves too powerful to be stopped, and while Sturm Graz gave it their best shot last time around, Die Schwoazn were forced to accept a runners-up finish to the perennial champions in the 2022-23 season.
Finishing seven points adrift of Salzburg in the Championship round and missing out on the coveted Champions League group-stage spot, Sturm Graz will try their hand in qualifying again, one year on from a 3-1 aggregate loss to Dynamo Kiev at this stage.
Christian Ilzer's side have already begun their latest quest to dethrone Salzburg at the pinnacle of the Austrian game, and at the time of writing, Die Schwoazn are sitting pretty at the summit of the Bundesliga table thanks to an opening 3-0 win at Austria Vienna and 2-0 success over LASK at the weekend.
Pushing their domestic title charge to one side, Sturm Graz have aspirations of a first Champions League group-stage appearance since the 2000-01 campaign, having also made the proper tournament in the two seasons before that but failing to advance further on each occasion.
PSV and Sturm Graz only locked horns for the first time in the 2021-22 Europa League group stage, but it was a humbling experience for the Austrians, who were thumped 4-1 on their own territory before also falling short in a 2-0 loss at the Philips Stadion.
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Team News
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With suspensions from last year's continental tournaments carrying over to the 2023-24 competitions, PSV will be forced to make do without left-back Mauro Junior on Tuesday after he was sent off in last year's Europa League playoff round second-leg clash with Sevilla.
Junior was already expected to miss out with a knee injury, though, meaning that Patrick van Aanholt will hold the fort on the left flank, while centre-back Armando Obispo is also struggling with a knee concern and will take his place on the sidelines too.
Having been powerless to prevent PSG from triggering a nominal buyback clause in Simons's contract, PSV have sought to replace the Dutchman's crucial contributions by bringing in Lang and Ricardo Pepi, although Luuk de Jong will seemingly keep the latter at bay for the time being.
As for Sturm Graz, winger Alexander Prass is unlikely to take part due to a calf concern, but Ilzer should otherwise be able to call upon most of his troops for the trip to the Netherlands.
On the back of a nine-goal season in the 2022-23 campaign, towering centre-forward Emanuel Emegha - a Netherlands youth international - has departed for Strasbourg, but his replacement Szymon Wlodarczyk has his the ground running with goals in both of his opening top-flight games.
The visitors have also dipped into the British market this summer, signing Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen on loan and 19-year-old right-back Max Johnston - formerly of Motherwell - on a free transfer.
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Teze, Ramalho, Boscagli, Van Aanholt; Veerman, Sangare; Bakayoko, Til, Lang; De Jong
Sturm Graz possible starting lineup:
Scherpen; Gazibegovic, Affengruber, Wuthrich, Schengg; Hierlander, Gorenc Stankovic, Kiteishvili; Horvat; Wlodarczyk, Boving
We say: PSV Eindhoven 2-0 Sturm Graz
Even with a noticeably thin squad and a couple of defensive absentees, a PSV side on cloud nine from their Super Cup triumph should still make light work of Sturm Graz on their own turf, as was the case in the Europa League two seasons ago.
It remains to be seen how the Simons-less Lightbulbs will fare under Bosz in the long run, and they will not score for fun on Tuesday, but the visitors' youthful crop surely lack the necessary continental experience to trouble the hosts' backline.
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Ben Knapton
