Never before has PSV played against Croatia's NK Osijek. Yet the match against the number four Croatian league is already one of the most important of the year. PSV must, but above all wants to win in order to start the UEFA Europa League group stage via the qualification playoff (in August) in a month and a half from now. An introduction.
Match rhythm
For Osijek, the season has already begun. To qualify for the duel with PSV, the Croatians had to face FC Lüzern in two matches. The return game was lost 2-1, but thanks to the result in the outward game (2-0 win), the third qualifying round was reached without too many problems. Also in the Croatian league, Osijek has already gained match rhythm. The two games the team has played so far were drawn.
Lepe striker Ejopi
Striker Muzafer Ejopi appears to be the most dangerous man on coach Zoran Zekic's squad beforehand. The Macedonia international has scored in each of the last three European games played by Osijek, but at the same time knows that his team has never reached the group stage of a European main tournament.
Duel with Dinamo Zagreb
Not only Osijek, but also all of Croatian football is still a virtually unwritten page in club history for PSV. Yet the last encounter with an opponent from the mid-European country was quite recent. In 2013, in his first year as head coach, Phillip Cocu beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 at home and played 0-0 draw away. Quiz question: Of the current player selection, three players experienced (one of) both matches as a starting player. The answer can be found at the bottom of this page.
The zero
For now, PSV always managed to qualify for the group stage of the Europa League. A strong foundation for this was laid in the home matches. Indeed, PSV did not concede a single goal in the qualifying matches at Philips Stadion. PSV - NK Osijek starts Thursday at 19.00 hrs. There are still some tickets for sale at www.psv.nl/tickets. The match will also be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
Answer: Jorrit Hendrix, Santiago Arias and Jürgen Locadia were in action on behalf of PSV against PSV's previous Croatian opponent. Przemyslaw Tyton kept both matches in place of Jeroen Zoet.