Basel vs PSV Eindhoven 31/07/19

31 July 2019

Basel and PSV Eindhoven will face-off at the St. Jakob-Park for the return leg of their Champions League Qualifiers tie. The Dutch giants have secured a tight 3-2 win in the first leg, which leave both sides with everything to play for here.

The hosts come into this clash off the back of a shock 2-1 home loss to St. Gallen last weekend, which was their third defeat in the last five games (W2, L3). Interestingly, all of those matches have produced over 2.5 goals and seen both teams score, with four of them featuring four or more goals. Devastating in the final third, all six of Basel’s last wins have seen them score over 3.5 goals. However, their defensive frailties have seen them concede at least one goal in 12 of their previous 13 matches, allowing two or more goals per match six times in the process. Also, all four of Basel’s last defeats have seen them concede at least three goals and find the net. The aforementioned failure against St. Gallen was Basel’s only home loss in 11 home games in 2019 (W6, D4, L1), and also the eighth that has seen them concede at least one goal.

Meanwhile, the visitors suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to arch-rivals Ajax in the Dutch Super Cup Final last weekend, as their struggling for form continues. The Farmers have suffered three defeats in their last five matches (W2, L3), conceding two or more goals in each, while failing to find the net in two. Another potential worry form Mark Van Bommel is PSV’s indifferent road form lately that has seen them collect just one win on their previous five road trips across all competitions (W1, D1, L3). Four of those matches have produced a minimum of three goals, while three have featured over 3.5 goals. Also, the Dutch heavyweights have struggled to preserve a blank slate in seven of their ten away fixtures, allowing 2+ match goals six times along the way.