A thrilling contest is predicted as Monaco host PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of thier third round UEFA Champions League qualifier.
Following a difficult preseason campaign, Monaco head into their first competitive fixture looking to find their rhythm. They have struggled to find their best form so far, claiming just one win from six friendly matches.
Monaco failed to secure a win in their last three friendly matches, although they will look to take some confidence from a 2-2 draw with Italian giants Inter Milan. Manager Philippe Clement will be banking on a push from the home fans as they generally do well in front of their fans.
The good news for Monaco as the real competition starts is that they managed to hold on to some of their key players. Strikers Wissam Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland are still at the club while they also added Takumi Minamino to their attack from Liverpool.
While Monaco were struggling to find their best form in preseason, PSV Eindhoven look ready for competitive action. Although the Dutch side found things slightly difficult at the start, they travel to the principality off the back of three straight wins.
One of the wins for PSV was an impressive 5-3 victory over Eredivisie champions Ajax in the Dutch Super Cup last Saturday. Gus Til continued where he left off last season with a fine hat-trick while Cody Gakpo was also on target.
PSV Eindhoven appear to have lost none of their attacking strength under new manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy as their preseason campaign was characterised by plenty of goals. They have scored two or more goals in their last three matches, putting five past two opponents in that run.
How the bookies view it
Monaco are considered favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 11/10 by William Hill. A victory for PSV Eindhoven is valued at 11/4 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 14/5 by SBK.
Head to head
Monaco have a 3-2 advantage with three draws from eight previous matches with PSV Eindhoven. Both teams met during the group stage of last season’s Europa League with Monaco claiming a 2-1 victory in Eindhoven before holding out for a 0-0 draw at the Stade Louis II.
Players to watch
Much of Monaco’s attacking moves go through Wissam Ben Yedder and he will once again be the one to watch for the French side. Unibet has the striker at odds of 11/10 to score anytime on Tuesday.
PSV Eindhoven showed their attacking strenght throughout preseason with Gus Til particularly impressive. The forward is coming off a hat-trick in the Dutch Super Cup and could be tipped to get on the score sheet in France at odds of 3/1 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Monaco and PSV have shown their attacking quality lately and with neither side particularly solid at the back, both teams could be backed to score at 7/10. There were over 3.5 goals in PSV’s last fixture and a similar outcome is priced at 2/1 with William Hill, who are also offering 4/5 for over 2.5 goals.
Both teams often take some time to find their rhythm, so the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at evens with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between Monaco and PSV Eindhoven will be played on Aug 2, 2022 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Monaco vs PSV Eindhoven prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
