PSV look to complete Champions League qualification against BATE Borisov

PSV look to complete Champions League qualification against BATE Borisov

PSV vs BATE Borisov – Wednesday, August 28, 20:00 BST/21:00 CEST  – PSV Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 

PSV vs BATE Borisov will take place at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven - Image by StadiumDB CC-BY-SA-2.0

PSV vs BATE Borisov will take place at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven – Image by StadiumDB CC-BY-SA-2.0

The battle of the two company teams is headed to the second stage. Both Philips’ Sport Vereniging, as part of the Philips company, and Borisov Automobile and Tractor Electronics have their foundation as sports company teams.

As a result, both clubs, similar to Bayer in Germany, are often labelled as boring corporate plastic teams. Those stereotypes were, however, quickly thrown out of the window in the first leg in which both teams dazzled the visitors to the Borisov Arena.

BATE’s Jasse Tuominen struck first (9′) giving the Belarusians a surprising lead. PSV’s Gastón Pereiro then equalised from the spot kick in the 35′ minute before Hirving Lozano gave the Dutch the lead in the 61′. BATE’s legendary Aleksandr Hleb then equalised in the 88′, but it was only a short-lived celebration by the BATE fans as Donyell Malen thundered home a header one minute later.

That result will give PSV a significant advantage when the tie shifts to the Netherlands on Wednesday. On a first glance, BATE still carried some of the damage from the match on Saturday when they struggled to overcome Vitebsk in a 1-1 draw on matchday 19 of the Vysheyshaya Liga.

Despite the draw BATE still have a seven-point gap ahead of Vitebsk in the Vysheyshaya Liga. With that gap in mind, it could be argued that BATE simply took it easy in that match knowing that a point would be enough to keep their title challengers at bay.

PSV, in the meantime, have been in good form in the Netherlands. Winning three out of three Eindhoven sit on top of the Eredivisie table ahead of AZ Alkmaar and Ajax.

Two goals by Luuk de Jong helped see off PEC Zwolle 2-1 on the weekend. A similar performance will likely be enough to see off BATE on Wednesday – primarily as the Philips Sport Vereniging carries the technological advantage of three away goals over the Borisov Automobile and Tractor Electronics company.

PSV vs BATE Borisov – Players to look out for:

Hirving Lozano #11 – PSV Eindhoven

Perhaps surprisingly Hirving Lozano is headed for a second season in the Netherlands. The left-winger had a fantastic first year in the Eredivisie after being signed from Pachuca in the summer of 2017. Scoring 17 goals and 11 assists in 29 games Lozano was at times the best player in the Netherlands. He then played a crucial part in Mexico’s 1-0 victory over Germany at the World scoring the game-winner in the 66′ minute. It was, therefore, expected that a club from Germany, England, Spain or Italy would break the bank for the forward. But the prospect of Champions League football and PSV’s demands have ensured that Lozano will remain in the Netherlands for at least one more year.

Hirving Lozano of PSV in action during the Eredivisie match between PSV and Utrecht at Philips Stadion on August 11, 2018 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Hirving Lozano of PSV in action during the Eredivisie match between PSV and Utrecht at Philips Stadion on August 11, 2018 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Mirko Ivanić #10 – BATE

24-year-old Serbian Mirko Ivanić has been BATE’s top player this season. In 17 Vysheyshaya Liga Ivanić has scored six goals and three assists. Signed from Vojvodina in February 2016 Ivanić made the unusual move from Serbia to Belarus as a 22-year-old talented attacking-midfielder. It was the prospect of regular European football that attracted the Serb to play for BATE and scouts will without a doubt keep a close eye on his future development in Borisov.

Mirko Ivanic of BATE Borisov holds off pressure from Olivier Giroud of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League group H match between Arsenal FC and BATE Borisov at Emirates Stadium on December 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Mirko Ivanic of BATE Borisov holds off pressure from Olivier Giroud of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League group H match between Arsenal FC and BATE Borisov at Emirates Stadium on December 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

PSV vs BATE Borisov – Match Stats

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: BATE vs PSV Eindhoven – 1-1

PSV vs BATE Borisov – Lineups

PSV Eindhoven:

Formation: 4-3-2-1

Zoet – Angeliño, Dumfries, Schwaab, Viergever – Hendrix, Pereiro, Rosaro – Bergwijn, Lozano – de Jong

Head Coach: Mark van Bommel

BATE Borisov:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Shcherbitski – Volodjko, Filipovic, Filipenko, Rios – Dragun, Yablonski, Baga – Stasevich, Tuominen, Ivanić

Head Coach: Aleksey Baga

Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and among others works for the Bundesliga and Pro Soccer USA. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which is available HERE. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.

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