Preview:PSV Eindhoven vs Napoli - prediction, team news, lineups

Still seeking their first win of this season's league phase, PSV Eindhoven will host Napoli on Tuesday evening, as the Dutch and Italian title-holders lock horns in the Champions League.

PSV have only picked up one point so far, while their visitors bounced back from an opening-day defeat to beat Sporting Lisbon last time out.

Match preview

After losing 3-1 at home to Belgian champions Union SG on matchday one, PSV were already facing an uphill task to make it through from the league phase and into the knockout rounds.

They then went 1-0 down in the 65th minute against Bayer Leverkusen when the sides met in Germany earlier this month, after Ivan Perisic had seen his strike ruled out by the VAR.

Averting another defeat, Ismael Saibari later levelled by finishing off a 27-pass move, but PSV now sit 27th in the early table - outside the playoff places.

Defensive discipline has often proved their downfall: the Eindhoven club have only kept one clean sheet in their last 18 Champions League matches, while conceding goals at a rate of more than two per game across the last 10.

Yet, very capable of finding the net themselves, PSV have lost just three of their last 15 group or league-phase fixtures at the very top level.

Peter Bosz has recently seen his team score six in back-to-back Eredivisie games either side of the international break, following a 4-0 win over PEC Zwolle with Saturday's 2-1 defeat of Go Ahead Eagles.

That left the reigning champions just behind old foes Feyenoord at the top of the standings, but now they must try to get off the mark in Europe.

Napoli's only previous meetings with PSV came in the 2012-13 Europa League group stage, when the Dutch club won both home and away by an aggregate scoreline of 6-1.

Of course, the Serie A side will expect to fare better on Tuesday, as they continue a quest to break new ground: while PSV lifted the European Cup back in 1988, they have never before gone past the last eight in UEFA's top competition, while head coach Antonio Conte has a modest personal record.

Forced onto the back foot in this season's opener, after captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was dismissed early on, the Scudetto holders ultimately lost 2-0 to Manchester City while registering just one shot.

They bounced back last time out, though: rejuvenated striker Rasmus Hojlund bagged a brace to beat Sporting 2-1 at Stadio Maradona, as the Italian and Portuguese champions clashed in Campania.

Hojlund then scored a late Serie A winner against Genoa, but he fired a blank at the weekend, when Napoli lost 1-0 to struggling Torino.

That allowed Inter Milan to catch them on 15 points from seven league matches, just before last term's top two meet in Naples.

Before that high-profile contest brings Italy to a standstill, Conte's men are bound for the Netherlands, where they will be burdened by a growing absence list.

PSV Eindhoven Champions League form:

L D

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

L D W D W W

Napoli Champions League form:

L W

Napoli form (all competitions):

L W L W W L

Team News

With some injury woes of their own, PSV could be without Kilian Sildillia and Alassane Plea in midweek, while Ruben van Bommel - scorer of their only goal on matchday one - is certainly ruled out by a serious knee injury.

In the latter's absence, Saibari has stepped up, as the Morocco international has recently scored in four of his last five club matches.

Once again, he should link up with evergreen winger Perisic and versatile frontman Guus Til, who netted both goals against Go Ahead Eagles on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Napoli's attack was already missing Romelu Lukaku before Hojlund suffered a thigh strain in training and was withdrawn from the squad to face Torino.

Hojlund has scored seven goals across eight Champions League appearances to date - including three braces - but ex-Ajax striker Lorenzo Lucca may have to deputise in Eindhoven.

A peripheral figure so far this season, former PSV forward Noa Lang may get a look-in too, as Matteo Politano has yet to return to full fitness and last term's Serie A MVP Scott McTominay is struggling with an ankle problem.

Conte is also without key midfielder Stanislav Lobotka and defensive mainstay Amir Rrahmani, but Italy centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno was back on the bench against his old club.

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Dest, Obispo, Gasiorowski, Salah-Eddine; Saibari, Schouten, Veerman; Man, Til, Perisic

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Buongiorno, Spinazzola; Gilmour; Neres, Anguissa, De Bruyne, Lang; Lucca

We say: PSV Eindhoven 2-2 Napoli

Entertainment is surely guaranteed, as there have been no fewer than 45 goals across PSV's last 11 Champions League matches.

As Napoli are amid an injury crisis and have just suffered three straight away losses for the first time in two years, they may just be able to escape with a point.

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