Personnel
Seven PSV players - like their coach - have Bundesliga experience. From a Bayer 04 perspective, there will not only be a reunion with Bosz on Wednesday, but also with goalkeeper Matej Kovar, who wore the Werkself shirt for two years up to this summer. The 25-year-old Czech came to PSV as a replacement for former number one Walter Benitez (Crystal Palace) and has been in goal in all competitive matches to date.
PSV have had to cope with a big loss of players in attack this term. Among others, captain Luuk de Jong (FC Porto), Noa Lang (Napoli), Johan Bakayoko (RB Leipzig) and Malik Tillman left the club. The latter is now a Leverkusen player and is looking forward to his first meeting with his former team-mates. Tillman was PSV's second highest goalscorer with twelve goals behind de Jong (14). Lang (11) and Bakayoko (9) who played their part in winning the Eredivisie. The 46-goal quartet needs to be adequately replaced.
PSV's hopes in attack mainly rest on two new signings: Alassane Plea joined Eindhoven after seven years with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Ruben van Bommel came from AZ Alkmaar. The son of former FC Bayern player Mark van Bommel has made an excellent impression with four goals in all competitions. But in the top match against Ajax, the 21-year-old left winger suffered a cruciate ligament injury and may be out for the rest of the season. Plea also suffered a serious knee injury in the 2-0 win at Twente Enschede on matchday two and is ruled out for the long term. Bitter news for the two attacking players. And difficult for Bosz to compensate for.
Now now there are greater demands on former Augsburg player Ricardo Pepi and Ivan Perisic up front. At 36, Perisic is the oldest player in the PSV squad and he used to play in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich. He still poses a real goal threat. Last season, the Croatia international had an impressive 27 goal involvements (16 goals, 11 assists) in three competitions. PSV have high hopes for Paul Wanner. The 19-year-old was loaned out by FC Bayern to FC Heidenheim last season and he signed for PSV in August on a contract to 2030. And another Bundesliga player decided to move to the Eredivisie: Defender Kiliann Sildillia is looking for a new challenge in Eindhoven after five years at SC Freiburg.
Problems
Eindhoven found themselves in a difficult situation in the spring of this year. The team was in trouble until March 2025. In the Eredivisie, they only managed one win in seven games and had particular problems in defence. The team conceded 16 goals during this phase, followed by a 7-1 defeat at home to Arsenal in the Champions League Round of 16. The biggest home defeat in PSV's history. Even though the team from Eindhoven then recovered, drawing the second leg in London and, as mentioned, putting in an exceptional run-in in the Eredivisie, the defence was no longer as solid as it had been in the first season under Bosz. Always playing with a high line, the team conceded a number of goals and was also susceptible to set-pieces. In the current campaign, Matej Kovar, the new number one, has already had to pick the ball out of his own net 15 times in nine matches. He has only managed to keep a clean sheet once. The defence is therefore not always solid. And as far as the attack is concerned, it remains to be seen how PSV will cope with the absence of Ruben van Bommel and Alassane Plea due to injury.
Performers
PSV play Bosz-style attacking football. Challenging quickly, fast transitions, lots of running, plenty of sprints - this style is very intense and demands a lot of energy from the players. During his time as Bayer 04 coach, the Dutchman once formulated his philosophy in the Werkself magazine as follows: "The main thing is always that we want to win, that is of course clear and paramount. But we also want the fans to be thrilled when they go home after a game and to have experienced a wow effect in the 90 minutes beforehand." Bosz also plays spectacular football in this sense in Eindhoven. In his first league season with PSV, the team scored 111 goals in 34 games. It was still 103 goals last term. And in the current season, PSV once again have the equal best attack with 21 goals scored in seven games.
