Man. United A 'Dream' Draw For PSV Eindhoven

ManUtd.com spoke to Dutch journalist Dolf van Aert, from Voetbal International, about Tuesday's clash...

How excited are PSV fans about the game?
Very excited. They’ve been talking about it ever since the draw – it was a dream to be paired with United, because of the Dutch connection and especially because of Memphis’s return. It has been a long time since PSV were in the Champions League; they hadn’t won the league for seven years before last season. They had a qualifier against AC Milan a couple of years ago but this is a real return to the biggest stage and a home game against one of the biggest clubs in the world – and in many Dutch fans’ opinion, still one the best teams in the world – is great for everyone here. The atmosphere around the place is fantastic.

Memphis is sure to receive a warm welcome, isn’t he?
Definitely, though I’m not so sure about Daley Blind, because he played for Ajax! With Memphis, the general idea was that he was going to leave PSV after the World Cup because he played well and there was some interest from bigger clubs. But he and Georginio Wijnaldum both said they wanted to stay for one more year and try to win the title. The fans really respected and admired them for that, as they were two young guys who could have made a big step up but decided to stay for one more year. But when Memphis left, everyone knew it was coming – it wasn’t like it was a last-minute deal. So he’s sure to get a fantastic reception.

What can United expect from PSV?
Last season, they won the league and did it with a counter-attacking style. They’re changing a little bit now, pushing forward a bit more, so it’ll be interesting to see if they go back to the old style of play against a team like Manchester United. I think that would be most logical, but they may continue to work on their new approach and get forward a bit more.

Do you think they can get a result against United?
I think it will be very difficult. The team is still developing; for example, their two centre-backs, Jeffrey Bruma and Hector Moreno, haven’t played together very long – Moreno only made his debut last weekend. So I think United’s individual qualities might be too much for this PSV side.

Credit: Manutd.com