PSV plays its first ever European match against Real Sociedad on Thursday. A fine affair, with no - in advance - big favorite.
Euro Club Index
PSV ranks 44th in the Euro Club Index. That is 17 spots below Real Sociedad, which is in 27th place. Benfica, against whom PSV played in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League, is in 26th place.
Positive run for PSV
This year will be PSV's ninth year playing in the Europa League. For Real Sociedad, it will be the third time. PSV is on a good run. The club has been unbeatable in the past six European home games. The team won five times and drew once. Real Sociedad was less fortunate. They did not win the past five European matches.
Group winner
PSV advanced to the next round five times out of the nine times it played in a European group stage. Last season, PSV became group winner in a pool with Granada CF, PAOK and Omonia Nicosia. It was the first time in a long time that the team won from a Spanish club. After the winter break, PSV was eliminated after two games by Olympiacos FC (5-4 over two games).
On the way to hundredth goal
PSV is three goals away from 100th goal in the Europa League since its first appearance in the tournament in 2009-2010. Only ten other clubs have reached this number. Both Eran Zahavi and Mario Götze currently top the list of goals scored for European matches this season. Both players have scored three goals. Zahavi has scored nine European goals in 12 matches for PSV. He could become PSV's 12th player to score 10 or more European goals in the coming games.
