PSV Eindhoven - Borussia Dortmund predictions and free betting tips [20/02/2024]

On Tuesday, the 20th of February, as part of the first match of the ⅛ finals of the Champions League, PSV will host Borussia Dortmund on home soil. The Dutch will enter the play-offs of the primary continental championship for the first time in 8 years, whereas the "Bumblebees" have exited the "group of death" in first place, yet stumble regularly in the league.

Predicted Line-ups

PSV: Benitez; Teze, Boscagli, Ramalho, Dest; Saibari, Schouten, Veerman; Bakayoko, De Jong, Lozano.
Borussia D: Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Can, Sabitzer; Brandt, Reus, Sancho; Fullkrug.

Stadium

The clash will be held in Eindhoven at Philips Stadium.

PSV

PSV managed to snatch 2nd place in the Champions League Group B table behind Arsenal. The club from Eindhoven succeeded in the double confrontation with Lens (1:1 away and 1:0 home), triumphed over the Gunners (1:1 home) during the last round. Hence, the capital club made it back to the Champions League play-offs eight years after their previous appearance here.

The current Eredivisie leaders are churning out victories one after the other, accruing 62 points out of a possible 66 after 22 rounds - remarkable statistics. Last Friday, PSV beat Heracles at home with a 2:0 scoreline - Luk De Jong and Boscali distinguished themselves with goals. Notably, the Striped hold a winning streak of four home victories, with only 2 goals conceded during these games. 

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia succeeded in taking the first place in the dreaded quarter alongside PSG, Milan, and Newcastle. In the final round of the group stage against Parisians, the Dortmunders needed to secure just one point to top the group, and the team managed by Edin Terzic achieved this result (1:1). However, surprisingly, the guests' initial kicks in the major continental championship didn't go well: a 2:0 defeat at Parc des Princes and a 0:0 draw home against Milan. This was followed by two victories against the Magpies (1:0 and 2:0) and a significant victory at San Siro (3:1).

Although Borussia performed reasonably well in the Champions League, they undoubtedly struggle in the Bundesliga: Borussia occupies only fourth place in the overall standings, trailing Bayer Leverkusen by 15 points. Nevertheless, the Bumblebees' form has improved slightly since the start of the calendar year: they didn't lose in the last six Bundesliga rounds, while meanwhile conquering Darmstadt (3:0), Cologne (0:3), Bochum (3:1) and Freiburg two weeks ago (3:0). Last weekend, the visitors failed to please their fans with a victory - a draw against Wolfsburg (1:1). 

Head-to-Head Meetings

These two clubs have met three times in their history, the last of which was in 2002 during the Champions League group stage (1:1 home in Germany, 3:1 in the Netherlands). In 2017, Borussia crushed PSV 4:1 in a friendly match.

Prediction for the PSV vs Borussia Dortmund Match

Both teams went through the group stage following almost identical scripts: Borussia lost at home to the favourite of the quarter - PSG, and PSV was beaten by Arsenal. With that said, the home pitch factor could serve a key role in the upcoming clash: the hosts haven't lost at home territory throughout the current season. My prediction - a victory for the Dutch squad.

Total Prediction

Contrary to the meeting at San Siro, fans here are expected to witness a high-scoring shootout: both teams average about 2 goals per match, therefore confidently predicting "both will score total over 2.5".

Corner Prediction

Both sides champion an exclusively attacking style of play and possess explosive flanks. We can confidently place a bet on total corners over 9.5.

Yellow Card Prediction

Neither team is notorious for its excessive roughness on the field, earning fewer than 2 warnings per match in the current Champions League. The bet will be on total yellow cards under 4.5.

Score Prediction

I will wager on the precise score 2:1 in favour of PSV.