Maybe the most interesting and potentially balanced double-header of this third qualifying round for the 2022-23 edition of the Champions League. Monaco and Psv Eindhoven are two clubs with a certain pedigree in Europe, we are certainly not discovering that today, and both will want to do their utmost not to miss out on the group stage.
The Monegasque side were eliminated in the play-offs by Shakhtar Donetsk a year ago and now they will try again, on the strength of the certainties they have built up during the new course initiated last winter by Belgian coach Philippe Clement. The former Club Brugge coach, who took over mid-season from the exonerated Niko Kovac, managed to put things right in a short space of time and his team finished in third place thanks to the incredible string of victories achieved in the final part of the last Ligue 1, beating Strasbourg, Rennes and Nice in the photo finish. Monaco, who, in order to be ready, competed in several friendlies, including one with Inzaghi’s Inter, which ended 2-2. Two defeats, however, the last two tests against Porto and Southampton. Clement can no longer count on midfielder Tchouameni, transferred to Real Madrid, but on the other hand he has more solutions in attack thanks to the arrivals of Minamino and Embolo.
There is also news at Psv Eindhoven: the Dutch have decided to entrust their bench to former Manchester United and Real Madrid centre-forward Ruud van Nistelrooy, who could not have dreamt of a better debut. The Dutch vice-champions came from a sensational weekend, in which, as underdogs, they thrashed their Ajax rivals (3-5) in the national Super Cup match, confirming the good things seen in one of their most recent friendlies against Spanish side Betis. On the top of the scoresheet was the fantasist Til (hat-trick), bought in this market session on a permanent basis from Spartak Moscow.
How to watch Monaco v PSV Eindhoven live on TV and streaming
Ruud van Nistelrooy ©️Ansafoto
The match between Monaco and PSV Eindhoven, scheduled for Tuesday at 20:00 and valid for the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League, will not be broadcast live on TV or streaming in Italy. No platform, satellite or streaming, has bought the rights to the preliminary round of Europe’s top competition.
The prediction
Monaco have conceded a lot of goals in their pre-season friendlies and will have to be careful against a high-flying attack like Psv, who smashed home five goals against Ajax on Saturday. Clement is certainly not a defensive player, but he will take precautions. In any case, there should be no shortage of spectacle in a match between two teams with plenty of talent. Both are likely to score.
Munich v PSV Eindhoven matchday squad
MONACO (4-4-2): Nubel; Aguilar, Disasi, Maripan, Henrique; Vanderson, Fofana, Lucas, Golovin; Volland, Ben Yedder.
PSV EINDHOVEN (4-2-3-1): Benitez; Hoever, Teze, Ramalho, Max; Veerman, Sangaré; Bakayoko, Til, Gakpo; de Jong.
