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PSV Stadion, Eindhoven
Wednesday 22 October 2008 – 20.45CET
Group D – Matchday 3

With no points from their two games in Group D, PSV Eindhoven and Olympique de Marseille are desperate for a win to kick-start their respective UEFA Champions League campaigns. So it was no surprise that both coaches predicted an open, attacking encounter when they meet at the PSV Stadion on Wednesday.
Optimism
With Club Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC already six points ahead of both sides, there is a suggestion that PSV’s two matches against Marseille over the next fortnight will determine only who will participate in the UEFA Cup next spring. PSV coach Huub Stevens categorically rejects the notion, though. “If you want to reach the next round of the Champions League, which we definitely do, then we have to win,” he said. “As long as the possibility still exists to progress, then we will do everything we can to make it happen.”
New approach
Stevens, who describes Wednesday’s opponents as “typically French, very compact, with plenty of technique, speed and power”, admits his team will have to be much more offensive than when losing 3-1 at Anfield on Matchday 2. “You could say we played with eleven defenders against Liverpool in the last game,” he said. “This time we’re going to play with eleven attackers.” The Dutch champions have no major selection problems. Only one member of the regular lineup is missing in right-back Jan Kromkamp – suffering from a groin injury – but there is a ready-made replacement in Francisco Rodríguez.
Learning from mistakes
However, it is his side’s form that must be causing Stevens most concern. Saturday’s 2-1 loss at leaders NAC Breda, PSV’s second in six league games, left them fourth in the Eredivisie. “Particularly in the first half on Saturday we weren’t sharp enough, and we lacked concentration,” said the former Dutch international, who publicly questioned his players’ fighting spirit after the match. “But on Monday I talked about it with the squad, we analysed what went wrong, then we started preparing for Marseille. I want us to show that we have learned from our mistakes.” Weekend win In contrast to PSV, Marseille are turning on the style in France. The only undefeated team in Ligue 1, their 3-1 victory at Valenciennes FC on Sunday took OM up to second place, one point behind titleholders Olympique Lyonnais. “We created a lot of chances during the game, and both [Hatem] Ben Arfa and [Bakari] Koné are finding their form,” said Marseille coach Erik Gerets. The visitors have a full squad to choose from, including two players, captain Lorik Cana and Algerian international Karim Ziani, who were suspended at the weekend.
Draw insufficient
Gerets, whose past as both a player and a coach of PSV is still commemorated by photos on the walls inside the stadium, thinks the fans could be in for a treat on Wednesday. “Normally in an away match we would be happy with one point, but not this time,” he stressed. “We will definitely be looking for all three. I don’t expect a physical battle, just two teams going all out for victory, so it should be a really entertaining encounter.”

Bréchet feels a positive PSV will prosper
PSV Eindhoven defender Jérémie Bréchet believes his team must focus on the positives against Olympique de Marseille in Wednesday’s crucial Group D encounter.
‘Dangerous going forward’
“Marseille have been playing very well recently,” said the 29-year-old, who captained FC Sochaux-Montbéliard before transferring to the Netherlands in the summer. “They have very talented players who are comfortable on the ball and dangerous going forward. Like us they have no points after two games, so will also be very keen to win. It will be difficult for us.”
Upbeat
With point-less PSV struggling to meet their high standards on the domestic front – where they lie fourth in the table – as well as in Europe, you could be forgiven for thinking the Dutch champions will approach Matchday 3 with trepidation. However, Bréchet, whose 27 UEFA Champions League appearances during the five seasons he spent at Olympique Lyonnais make him PSV’s second-most experienced player in the competition behind captain Timmy Simons, remains upbeat. “It’s true we have had problems in some games this season, but on other occasions we have shown we can play well. We have to concentrate on our own strengths and not think too much about the opposition.”
Afellay threat
Indeed, Bréchet reckons PSV have a potential match-winner in attacking midfielder Ibrahim Afellay, who has scored five Eredivisie goals this term for Huub Stevens’s side and is pushing for a starting berth in the Netherlands team. “He is very intelligent for one so young, and rarely gives the ball away,” he said. “He’s also very quick and direct when going forward.” However, the former FC Internazionale Milano and Real Sociedad de Fútbol centre-back also recognises similar traits in a member of the opposition. “He is in many ways comparable to [Hatem] Ben Arfa,” added Bréchet, referring to Marseille’s attack-minded 21-year-old who joined OM from Lyon during the close season.
Different style
Bréchet, the first Frenchman to play for PSV, acknowledges that the style of football is different from in his homeland. “The Dutch game is less physical, and the players are technically very accomplished. It’s also much quicker.” He hopes these qualities, combined with the right attitude, will pay dividends against his compatriots from Marseille. “We are at home,” the No13 said, “and we know we are capable of playing good possession football. We have to believe we can win.”