Thanks to a North Italian 'escape,' PSV goes to pot 2 in the draw for the UEFA Champions League
1 min readEven in the 2026/2027 season, PSV will participate in the main tournament of the UEFA Champions League. In the past three years, Peter Bosz’s team was always in pot 3 at the draw, but that will change this year.
During the draw that will take place on Thursday 27 August, PSV will be in pot 2. This has everything to do with the fact that Como 1907, against all expectations, has managed to qualify for the billionaires' tournament. The club from the north of Italy where coach Cesc Fàbregas holds the reins,
Because of this, Peter Bosz's team is among some big names in the draw, such as Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Portugal, Manchester United, FC Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and AS Roma. Feyenoord, on the other hand, is in pot 3, and NEC would, if they qualify for the Champions League, end up in pot 4.
PSV seemed for a long time to end up in pot three, but thanks to the exciting climax in the Italian competition and Como finishing fourth, it is pot 2 for PSV. For the new Champions League format, this provided a major advantage, but that is no longer the case.
Before the UEFA moved to a competitive stage with all clubs, the pot allocation was much more important and pot 2 represented a clearly less strong draw. Teams that had qualified for the group stage could not be drawn against opponents from the same pot. Now that is also possible, and therefore the advantage has been greatly reduced. In any case, PSV will face a pair of major clubs from pots 1 and 2.
Como won on the final day of the league with a 1-4 victory over Cremonese and thus finishes in 4th place, above the big names Juventus and AC Milan, who have to settle for an Europa League spot.
How they played in 2021 still in Serie C and only since 2024 in Serie A. Now the club from the north of Italy is going to Europe for the first time, and directly to the Champions League as well, which means it could therefore be a possible opponent for PSV next season.
Comments12
The big takeaway tbh is that PSV look better when they take the risk early instead of waiting. If they keep that tempo, Feyenoord and Ajax will have problems defending the second ball 💯⚽
"PSV Inside" is always confident, but the midfield spacing still looks a bit off. Props to the build-up, but if you lose the first ball, the 2nd phase is always shaky. Naah, tighten that up and it becomes peak, otherwise its just excitement with consequences 💀
Eens. En als Lozano speelt zoals in die fases, dan is het echt vuur. ⚽🔥
Eens. The fullbacks looked braver when we had the ball, but I worry the balance is too risky when the wing-backs jump forward. If the opponent switches quickly, Sangare and Veerman need to cover the gaps immediately or it gets messy 🔥
If the article is right and they want more control in midfield, then they need less fancy passes and more first-time speed. Van Ginkel moet dan eigenlijk de rust brengen, maar ook Durden om de bal sneller door te geven. 💯
If PSV really want to control games like this, Xavi Simons has to be the connector every time. Otherwise it turns into random bursts and we get punished on the counter. Also, that press trigger in midfield was so important today 👀⚽
Dont get me wrong, the build-up is pretty, but sometimes it turns into back-and-forth passing. I want more direct runs from the 10, not another recycle in front of their box 💀
"PSV Inside" noemt het plan helder, maar ik ben het niet eens met de keuze om zo vaak breed te spelen zonder diepte. Zeker als je de laatste man niet vastzet, wordt het al snel voorspelbaar. 👀
🔥 That press trigger was so nice. When they won the ball high, it felt like a free goal every attack.
"PSV Inside" altijd scherp, maar im not convinced about the wing rotation. When the fullback drifts too high, it leaves the center exposed, especially in transition 😅👀
If PSV really want to control games like that, Schouten has to be the calm outlet every time. He looked sharp, but i still worry teams will overload the half-space behind him.
Wat me opvalt is dat ze tegen druk niet altijd snel genoeg vrijlopen. Tbh zie je dan Teze/Flanks soms half staan, en dan komt de bal net te laat op de juiste kant. Dat is waar PSV nu punten laat liggen.