Borussia Dortmund vs. PSV Eindhoven

February 20, 2024

Borussia Dortmund make the short trip to the Netherlands as the Black and Yellows are set to face Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Philips Stadion on Tuesday.

Borussia Dortmund already beat PSV Eindhoven when the sides met in Group A of the first group stage in 2002-03, with the Germans winning the first leg 3-1 in the Netherlands before a 1-1 draw at the Westfalenstadion three weeks later.

PSV Eindhoven Betting Preview (+115 at Everygame)

It's almost March and PSV Eindhoven are still unbeaten in the Eredivisie. Moreover, they have won all but two of their top-flight matches so far (20-2-0 record) and hold a comfortable 10-point cushion over defending champions Feyenoord in second.

However, despite their excellent form, PSV Eindhoven won't be able to claim a domestic double as they lost to Feyenoord in the KNVB Cup round of 16 last month - their first domestic defeat in 2023-2024.

PSV Eindhoven continued their near perfect form in the Eredivisie when they claimed a 2-0 win over Heracles Almelo at the Philips Stadion on Friday night.

Heracles winger Bryan Limbombe was sent off early in the match for a late challenge on Luuk de Jong, as the latter converted a trademark header to open the scoring a few minutes later. That's the very least they've scored as Peter Bosz's side produced a dominant performance with 39 shots (14 on target) with a xG of 3.57.

Before the final stage of the game, Peter Bosz was able to rest some star players with one eye on the upcoming Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.

Captain Luuk de Jong scored his 19^th goal in the Eredivisie this term, with the veteran-forward being involved in 27 goals in 22 matches.

Having had a direct hand in a whopping 38 goals (27 goals, 11 assists) in 34 games in all competitions so far this season, Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman will hope that De Jong will reverse his decision as he officially announced his retirement from the national team last March.

With 27 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions, de Jong is already just five goals away from leveling his best record of 32 goals in a single campaign.

The Dutch giants will be without the injured duo of Guus Til and Noa Lang, but Belgium international Johan Bakayoko should return on the right wing. Bakayoko was sick and missed PSV's victory over a 10-man Heracles on Friday.

Meanwhile, German defender Armel Bella-Kotchap is back in contention but he is likely to start on the bench, with Andre Romalho set to keep his spot next to Olivier Boscagli at the back.

Borussia Dortmund Betting Preview (+215 at Everygame)

After a devastating final day of last season that saw Dortmund losing out the title in the most dramatic way, Edin Terzic's men are far from the title race this season. Borussia Dortmund currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga table, 17 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen and one point above RB Leipzig in fifth.

The Black and Yellows are unbeaten since a 3-2 home loss to RB Leipzig on 9 December and they will hope to extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches with a positive score in Eindhoven.

Edin Terzic's side were held to a 1-1 draw at Wolfsburg on Saturday afternoon in their last domestic game before the resumption of their Champions League campaign.

Niclas Fullkrug, who celebrated his 31^st birthday earlier this month, boasts six goals and two assists in his last five Bundesliga appearances. The German forward actually scored a hat-trick against Bochum last month and he also added a goal and two assists for the 3-0 win against Freiburg on 9 February (his birthday).

Netherlands international Donyell Malen remained an unused substitute against Wolfsburg at the weekend and he'll hope to start against his former club on Tuesday night. The Dutch forward scored a brace in the 3-0 victory over Freiburg earlier this month to take his Bundesliga tally to nine goals, but he's still looking for his first goal in the Champions League this season.

Malen was one of PSV Eindhoven's standout performers before his move to Borussia Dortmund in July 2021 and Edin Terzic will hope that he's fully fit to play on Tuesday evening.

Another Dutchman - Ian Maatsen - who also spent several years at PSV Eindhoven during his youth career - should start at left-back for the German side.

German midfielder Felix Nmecha, who scored the winner in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win at Newcastle United in October, continues his recovery from a hip injury.

Elsewhere, Algeria international Ramy Bensebaini and German forward Karim Adeyemi are also sidelined, while Sebastien Haller is yet to return to action since the Ivory Coast center-forward scored the winner in his country's Africa Cup of Nations triumph over Nigeria earlier this month.

Possible Starting Lineups of PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund

PSV Eindhoven: Walter Benítez - Jordan Teze, Andre Ramalho, Olivier Boscagli, Sergino Dest - Jerdy Schouten, Joey Veerman - Ismael Saibari - Johan Bakayoko, Luuk de Jong, Malik Tillman. (4-2-1-3)

Borussia Dortmund: Gregor Kobel - Julian Ryerson, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ian Maatsen - Marcel Sabitzer, Emre Can - Julian Brandt, Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho - Niclas Fullkrug. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

PSV Eindhoven have only lost to Arsenal at the Emirates in their opening Champions League game and are unbeaten in five (two wins and three draws) matches in Europe's elite competition.

PSV Eindhoven are yet to lose a home game since November 2022, when they lost 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivise. When it comes to their European games, Peter Bosz's side have beaten Sturm Graz and Rangers in qualifying and Lens (1-0) in the group stage, while Sevilla and Arsenal both left Eindhoven with a point.

All in all, PSV are unbeaten in their last nine European home games (6-3-0) and are now set for their first clash against a German opponent since the 2016-17 Champions League group stage - when they lost both matches to Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, will be looking to stop PSV Eindhoven's strong home form. The Black and Yellows have beat Newcastle United and AC Milan in their last two away games in the competition, and are now bidding to win three in a row for the first time since 2020-21.

Spooky Express Free Play: Outcome And Totals - X2 and Over 1.5 Goals +110 at Everygame for 5/10 Units

Spooky Express Free Play 2: Niclas Fullkrug - Anytime Goalscorer +215 at Everygame for 3/10 Units

Return to Soccer Previews List