Overview
Newcastle United may be experiencing a not-so-smooth Premier League season, with only 9 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats after 22 rounds. However, contrary to domestic form, "The Magpies" show a very different face in the cup arenas.
Coach Eddie Howe's team has reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals, although temporarily at a disadvantage against Manchester City after the first leg, and also won a ticket to the 4th round of the FA Cup thanks to a victory over Bournemouth.
In the Champions League, Newcastle also left many marks with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses after six group stage matches. With 10 points in hand, the English team is currently 12th and only 2 points behind the top 8 leading teams.
When the group stage has only two legs left, Newcastle must aim for the goal of winning all 6 points to nurture hopes of going further, starting with the reception of PSV Eindhoven. After that, they will face defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the final leg.
However, the home team at St James' Park entered this match in an unfavorable context. Newcastle has gone through 2 consecutive matches without a win in the Champions League, and has also not been able to triumph in the last 3 matches in official play time. Including a 0-2 defeat to Man City, a draw against Wolves and a dramatic 3-3 draw with Bournemouth before winning on penalties.
Although rated higher, Newcastle will face a real challenge named PSV Eindhoven - a team that has never lost away from home in the group stage this season.
Coach Peter Bosz's team once drew with Bayer Leverkusen and Olympiacos when away from home, and also created a big shock when they crushed Liverpool 4-1 right at Anfield. In addition, PSV also had another sensational victory against Napoli with a score of 6-2 in the third match.
In contrast to their impressive form away from home, the Dutch representative did not take advantage of their home advantage when losing to Atletico Madrid and Union Saint-Gilloise in the remaining 2 matches.
In addition to the European arena, PSV is showing absolute dominance in the Eredivisie. The red and white team has won 17 out of 19 matches, drawn 1 and lost only 1, thereby leading the rankings with a gap of up to 16 points compared to Feyenoord.
With high confidence from the domestic league, PSV promises to bring a significant challenge to Newcastle in the decisive match in the middle of this week.
Personnel situation
Newcastle is likely to enter the match in a state of serious force depletion. Dan Burn, Emil Krafth, William Osula, Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Jacob Murphy and Jamaal Lascelles are all injured and unlikely to be present.
After the lackluster 0-0 draw against Wolves last weekend, Eddie Howe is predicted to make adjustments in the starting lineup, especially in attack. Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa may be given the opportunity to start, replacing Anthony Gordon and Nick Woltemade.
On PSV Eindhoven's side, the away team also faces many injuries. Ruben van Bommel, Alassane Plea, Myron Boadu, Nick Olij, Ricardo Pepi and Sergino Dest are all not sure they are fit enough to play.
Expected lineup:
Newcastle United: Pope, Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Elanga, Wissa, Barnes.
PSV Eindhoven: Kovar, Sildillia, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Junior, Veerman, Wanner, Perisic, Til, Driouech, Bajraktarevic.
The match between Newcastle and PSV takes place at 3:00 AM on January 22 (Vietnam time).
