PSV vs Rangers: Preview and Prediction
Dutch Eredivisie side PSV will lock horns against Scottish Premiership side Rangers in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League Play-off leg 2 of 2 at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven.
In the first leg, the teams played out a 2-2 draw. Ibrahim Sangare and Armando Obispo scored goals for PSV while Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence scored for the Rangers. The game also saw Sir Alex Ferguson in attendance.
PSV came into this tournament after having ended 2nd in their Eredivisie division and qualified for the 3rd round of the qualifying stages where they defeated French outfit AS Monaco 4-3 in aggregate to make it to the final qualifying round. PSV have won both of their league fixtures so far this season and come into this fixture after a draw in the Champions League play-off fixture.
On the other hand, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side finished last season as the runners in the UEFA Europa League after they lost to German side Eintracht Frankfurt 5-4 in penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra time.
The team finished their regular Premiership season second and booked themselves a berth in the 3rd stage of this competition. The team fell behind 2-0 in the 1st leg against Royale Union Saint Gilloise but came back with an inspiring 3-0 win to make it to the playoffs.
In the current league season, the Rangers have played four winning three and drawing 2-2 in their most recent fixture against Hibernian. James Tavernier and Tom Lawrence scored for the Rangers, but their efforts were equalized by Martin Boyle and Josh Campbell. The game also saw two Rangers players, John Lundstram and Alfredo Morelos, being sent off.
Head to Head Record
The two sides have gone head to head in the UEFA Champions League on five occasions, with Rangers having won three and the points being shared on the two other occasions. The two sides last met during the 1st qualifying leg this season at the Ibrox Stadium with the game ending in a 2-2 draw.
Team News
For the home side, they can be without as many as five first-team players with Noni Madueke, Carlos Vinicius, Mauro Junior and Olivier Boscagli sidelined due to an injury and Yorbe Vertessen is currently recovering from an illness.
As for Rangers Ianis Hagi, Nnamdi Ofoborh, Kemar Roofe, and Tom Lawrence are unavailable for this fixture due to injuries.
Predicted Starting XIs
PSV: Walter Benitez, Phillipp Mwene, Jordan Teze, Andre Ramalho Silva, Philipp Max, Ibrahim Sangare, Erick Gutierrez, Joey Veerman, Ismael Saibari, Luuk de Jong, Cody Gakpo
Rangers: Jon McLaughlin, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, James Sands, John Lundstram, Ben Davies, Glen Kamara, Malik Tillman, Antonio Colak, Ryan Kent
Prediction
A very interesting game as both teams will want to win the fixture and progress to the main Champions League tournament. With this being a crucial match, we expect a few goals from this fixture. Given that PSV is the home side, we see them having a slight edge in this fixture, but nonetheless, fans can be assured of a great game of attacking football.
