Manchester United is set to take on PSV Eindhoven looking to avenge their loss in the first match of the UEFA Champions League this season. A win for The Red Devils would automatically send Louis van Gaal’s boys into the Round of 16 but they need to work really hard if they want to reach that objective especially since they will play the game in front of their home crowd at Old Trafford.
While United loss in the first game of the tournament against their Dutch foes, it’s expected that both sides will feature some changes. Van Gaal’s team look much more comfortable with the tactical scheme and while they don’t have some first-team players like Luke Shaw unavailable, they’ve been playing really well as of late.
As for PSV, they are a tough team to analyze but there are some things that don’t change, most notably their 4-3-3 system that guarantees lots of attacks through the flanks and a good deal of possession in the middle of the pitch thanks to players like Andres Guardado and Davy Pröpper. The team’s season hasn’t very good so far and they’re only third in the Eredivisie while facing the prospect of elimination if they don’t get a good result in Old Trafford this Wednesday.
Defensive zone analysis
The goalkeeping is set with Jeroen Zoet. The 24-year-old has started all four Champions League games this season and he’s the second captain when regular skipper Luuk de Jong isn’t available. Zoet was linked with Newcastle United in recent years and while he’s relatively young, he’s composed for his age. He’s particularly strong on the aerial balls and he doesn’t commit many mistakes so United’s strikers will have to be really sharp if they want to beat the talented shot-stopper.
The defensive line in front of Zoet is always composed by four players. Regularly the full-backs are Santiago Arias on the right and Joshua Brenet on the left while the centre-backs duo is formed by Jeffrey Bruma and Hector Moreno. United would be wise to take advantage of the voids left by the two full-backs, most notably Arias who’s well known for his attacking runs. The two central defenders are strong on the air but quite clumsy on the ball so skilled players like Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney would be good matchups to play through the middle.
Midfield and attack analysis
The midfield zone is one of the team’s best areas and it relies heavily on Pröpper – who normally acts as a more defensive midfielder – and Guardado who was more freedom to roam forward when given enough space. The pace of the Mexican could be quite threatening so the holding midfielders need to be on their toes to contain him. Usually, both players are accompanied of another defensive midfielder – most notably Jorrit Hendrix - although Adam Maher has started regularly and he could be an option to act as a deep-lying playmaker.
The attack is formed by three players and it follows the typical Dutch set of two wingers and one central striker. Maxime Lestienne and Jürgen Locadia have both seen time on the left wing but with the first one unavailable it wouldn’t be surprising to see Locadia starting. The right flank is owned by the skillful Luciano Narsingh and the central forward is Luuk de Jong, the team’s captain, and top scorer. De Jong is arguably the team’s biggest threat on the final meters so the Manchester United defenders need to be really focused to stop him although the full-backs also need to be alert because both Narsingh and Locadia have enough pace and talent to be game-changers at any point of the match.
Expected approach
PSV Eindhoven is likely to maintain their 4-3-3 tactic but considering their urgency to get the three points they could make some changes to their lineup, most notably using Maher in the middle of the pitch and possibly moving Guardado to the left wing of the attack where his pace can be more of an asset. PSV usually plays with a fast tempo and that’s not expected to change, although they could take a more counter-attacking approach to exploit the speed of their offensive weapons.