In the fifteenth European match of the season, PSV hopes to set another set of records in the away match against Leicester City. Leicester, however, is an unknown. The team has never played against a Dutch club before. PSV is going up for its first European semifinal since the 2004-2005 season.
First time
It is the first time PSV and Leicester City meet. Leicester has faced opponents from 16 different countries in its history, but has never played against a Dutch team. Leicester coach Brendan Rodgers has faced teams from 26 different countries in his coaching career, but he has never faced a Dutch club either.
Record hunt
PSV has already played 14 European matches this season. The team won eight of them. For PSV, a ninth win means equaling the club record from the 1977-1978 and 2009-2010 seasons. Only in that first season the club scored more goals (32) than this season (31). Should PSV therefore score at least once against Leicester, the team will equal a record here as well. Joël Drommel can match the club record for most clean sheets in a European campaign. The goalkeeper already kept the zero seven times this season. The current record dates back to the 2009-10 season and is held by Andreas Isaksson.
Road to the quarterfinals
PSV started this season in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League. The team eventually had to settle for a spot in the group stage of the Europa League. Leicester also played in the Europa League. Both teams finished in third place in their pools. PSV did so in a pool with AS Monaco, Real Sociedad and Sturm Graz. Leicester took on Napoli, Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw. PSV then reached the quarterfinals of the Conference League at the expense of Maccabi Tel Aviv and FC Copenhagen. Leicester advanced to the cup against Randers FC and Stade Rennes.
English opponent
English opponents do not suit PSV too well. The team played 34 games against a team from Great Britain. It won ten, drew nine and lost fifteen times. PSV played nine times against an English team in a knockout phase. Five times PSV decided the duel in its favor, four times it lost.