PSV faces a challenge Thursday night. Only with a win does the team still have wintering in the UEFA Europa League in its own hands. Head coach Roger Schmidt looks ahead.
Big match
Niko Kovac, the coach of AS Monaco, said in his preview that PSV needs to win and therefore expects an attacking opponent. Schmidt confirmed that his team will be hunting for victory at Stade Louis II. "We play a big and very important match tomorrow. In the group we are under pressure and we want to keep victory in this tournament in our own hands. A win is necessary for that, although even with a draw anything can still happen."
Injuries
Wednesday morning, PSV announced that Gakpo, Madueke, Götze, Pröpper and Thomas will not travel with the team to France. A hefty loss for the team. "We are missing five players and they are not the least. They have all already shown how important they are for PSV," agreed Schmidt, who has confidence in the players who do attend the game. "Last Saturday we showed that we are capable of scoring goals even without them. The attackers gained confidence last Saturday and are keen to show that."
Formation
Whether Schmidt will start with the same eleven as against FC Twente he could not yet say. "We have a number of options to vary. I haven't quite figured out the best approach for tomorrow, but I assure everyone that we are motivated to give everything. In the first game against Monaco we lacked luck and as a result we didn't get a good result. It's up to us to show good football again tomorrow and match that with a result."