PSV Eindhoven have become the dominant force in Dutch football again this season and will now be looking to make a splash in Europe by seeing off Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2007.
Peter Bosz has worked wonders since taking the reins from Ruud Van Nistelrooy last year and has PSV Eindhoven sitting 10 points clear of champions Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, having gone 22 games without defeat.
Things weren't quite so straightforward in the Champions League group stage, with Bosz's side pipping Lens by just one point to second place in their section behind Arsenal. But after a 4-0 battering at the Emirates in their first match, which saw a goals bet land for our man Mark, PSV went through the rest of the group without losing another game and that shows how hard they have been to defeat this season.
The draw for the last 16 was kind to PSV as they avoided the big guns and landed a Borussia Dortmund side who are sitting fourth in the Bundesliga after the pain of blowing the title on the final day of last season.
But it would be foolish to underestimate the Germans for this last-16 tie given they not only came through the Champions League's group of death but managed to top it.
Having followed up a 2-0 loss on the road to Paris St-Germain with a 0-0 draw at home to AC Milan, it wasn't looking good for Edin Terzic's men in their bid to reach the knockout stages. However, back-to-back wins over Newcastle revived their campaign and Borussia Dortmund finished top of the pile after defeating Milan 3-1 then drawing 1-1 with PSG.
The stalemate with the French champions has sparked a nine-game unbeaten run for Borussia Dortmund, so they're in pretty good shape as the European campaign gets back underway. Only four of those matches have ended in victories though and Terzic's side will need to be at their best to see off PSV Eindhoven side playing with such confidence.
How the bookies view it
This is a tough one to call but PSV Eindhoven are favourites with home advantage at 6/5 with Paddy Power while Borussia Dortmund are 12/5 at BetMGM for a win in the Netherlands. The first-leg stalemate pays 47/17 with VBet. If you fancy an early punt on who goes through, the Germans are Paddy Power's 4/5 favourites while Bosz's side look tempting at 23/20 with BoyleSports in what looks like a 50/50 tie to me.
Head to head
Despite having long and proud European histories, these sides have faced off just once before, in the Champions League back in 2002/03. Borussia Dortmund had the edge in that encounter, winning 3-1 in the Netherlands before a 1-1 draw back at the Westfalen.
Players to watch
Veteran PSV Eindhoven striker Luuk De Jong has been in incredible form this season, netting 26 times in 31 outings. The 33-year-old has nine from his last seven games and looks a little overpriced at 6/4 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Dortmund's Donyell Malen will be desperate to impress against his old club but is a doubt after being left on the bench with a knee problem at the weekend. Niclas Fullkrug scored Borussia's goal in that 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg to make it six goals in his last six outings. He's 23/10 at Paddy Power to keep that hot streaking going in Eindhoven.
Anything else catch the eye?
Last week's last-16 first-legs in the Champions League were pretty cagey, with BTTS coming up in one of the four games and two of the ties seeing just one goal. Betting against BTTS here pays 31/20 at BetVictor while under 2.5 strikes is 13/10 at Unibet. The half-time draw is another good option and that pays 7/5 at Unibet.
Ismael Saibari usually catches my eye when I watch PSV and the Moroccan is a big threat from midfield. Has has eight goals this season so looks good value at 11/8 with William Hill just to have a shot on target.
Emre Can picked up three yellows for Borussia Dortmund in the group stage and had to sit out the final game against PSG. He will be at the heart of the midfield battle again and is a tempting 15/8 with Paddy Power for another card.
This UEFA Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund will be played on Feb 20, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
