PSV look to seal their place in the play-off round of the Europa League as they travel to Austria for their 2nd leg tie with St Polten.
- By Michael Bell
- Follow Michael on Twitter
Despite dominating the first leg in Eindhoven, PSV could only manage a 1-0 victory thanks to Luuk de Jong’s 2nd half header. However the fact PSV did not concede an away goal puts them into a commanding position against the Austrian 2nd division side, and they should be able to seal progress on Thursday.
Phillip Cocu’s side have been bolstered by the return of Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Santiago Arias, who all had an extended break after the World Cup. All three are set to go straight into the starting eleven, in place of Joshua Brenet, Abel Tamata, and Jurgen Locadia.
Probable PSV XI: Zoet; Arias, Bruma, Hendrix, Ritzmaier; Wijnaldum, Hiljemark, Maher; Narsingh, De Jong, Depay
After the 1-0 defeat to PSV, St Polten were back in league action on Monday, suffering a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Mattersburg. The Austrian’s barely threatened PSV during the first leg, and will need a huge improvement if they are to cause an upset.
Possible St Polten XI: Kostner, Wisio, Grasegger, Huber, Stec, Holzmann, Hofbauer, Kerschbaumer, Parada, Fucik, Segovia
Last week PSV lacked a killer instinct in their attack, but the return of Depay, and Wijnaldum should add the extra spark their forward line needs to finally see off St Polten. Its been a poor few weeks for Dutch clubs in Europe, with both Groningen, and Feyenoord suffering defeats, but PSV should end that run on Thursday.