CSKA Moscow vs PSV Eindhoven preview - PSV aim for historic win over CSKA Moscow

Posted Tuesday, September 29, 2015 by PA

PSV Eindhoven will be looking to win their opening two Champions League games for the first time when they travel to Russia to take on CSKA Moscow.

Following victory in their opener against Manchester United, PSV now travel to the Russian capital looking to make club history, but it is not going to be easy for Phillip Cocu's men.

Andres Guardado and Luuk de Jong miss out due to injury and the Eredivisie side's coach has called up three members of his youth team to make up the numbers.

Steven Bergwijn, the 17-year-old who was named as the best player at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2014 by uefa.com, is one of Cocu's inexperienced players, together with 21-year-old forward Jurgen Locadia.

Both will soon come of age in such games, according to Wilhelmus van de Kerkhof, who made over 400 appearances for the Eindhoven club and sees no reason why they cannot win again this Wednesday, even without De Jong.

"PSV must not be dependent on just one player," he told the Omroep Brabant newspaper. "This is now a chance for Jurgen Locadia to prove himself up front.

"Of course it is a problem, but it is not the case that we can't beat Moscow and Ajax (in the league next weekend)."

Despite their absences, CSKA coach Leonid Slutski does not expect his side's task to be made any easier.

"Certainly we're not going to underestimate a team who beat Manchester United," he said at his pre-match press conference.

"It would be foolish to underestimate any opponents in the group stage of the Champions League."

CSKA lost their opening group fixture 1-0 to Wolfsburg and can therefore ill-afford another defeat, ahead of their double-header against Manchester United.