Ivan Perisic Urges PSV to End Opening-Night Champions League Losing Run
PSV Eindhoven begin their Champions League campaign at home to Shakhtar Donetsk with Ivan Perisic urging the Dutch champions to turn their domestic authority into a deeper European run. The match at Philips Stadion offers PSV an immediate chance to end a damaging opening-night pattern after five successive defeats in their first Champions League fixture.
A home start with added weight
PSV arrive as Eredivisie champions for the third season running, but Perisic believes that sequence creates a responsibility to deliver more beyond the Netherlands. The 37-year-old sees the visit of Shakhtar as a defining early test rather than simply the first match of a new league phase.
“After becoming champions three years in a row, this is the season to move forward and achieve more in the Champions League,” Perisic said. “Tomorrow is an important game at home.”
The occasion also has historical significance for the club. PSV are appearing in the competition’s main phase for the 20th time, moving beyond Ajax’s Dutch record. Yet their recent first-round results underline why a positive start matters: each of their previous five Champions League campaigns began with a loss.
PSV’s attacking record offers encouragement
There is reason for PSV to approach the contest with confidence. Their last 10 Champions League matches have produced 44 goals in total, pointing to the open, high-scoring football that has accompanied their recent European fixtures.
Shakhtar’s record in the Netherlands is also unconvincing. The Ukrainian side have won only one of five previous away games against Eredivisie opposition. PSV will nevertheless remember that their latest meeting was anything but straightforward.
- PSV fell behind in the sides’ 2024 meeting and remained behind until the 86th minute.
- A late surge transformed the match, with PSV recovering to claim a 3-2 victory.
- That comeback now provides a reminder that Shakhtar can create problems even when PSV’s home attack eventually finds its rhythm.
Perisic backs Van Bommel and Bosz
Perisic also used his pre-match comments to defend Ruben van Bommel after attention surrounding the youngster’s heavy challenge in domestic action last weekend. He described it as a late tackle made during an ordinary contest for the ball, rather than an act intended to hurt an opponent.
The veteran winger said Van Bommel had been upset and remorseful after the incident, while making clear that the squad would stand behind him. Perisic argued that the same competitive aggression, properly controlled, is necessary in Champions League football.
“Ruben is a good boy and he was very sorry,” Perisic said. “We will protect one another. That level of intensity is also what we need in the Champions League.”
He also dismissed any suggestion of a problem with Peter Bosz after his substitution against Ajax. Perisic confirmed that he and the PSV manager remain fully aligned as the club targets a stronger continental campaign.
Key takeaways
- PSV are seeking their first Matchday 1 Champions League win in six attempts.
- The club’s 20th main-phase appearance takes them past Ajax’s national record.
- Three straight Eredivisie titles have raised expectations for a meaningful European advance.
- Shakhtar have won once in five visits to Dutch clubs, but PSV needed a dramatic late turnaround to beat them 3-2 in 2024.
- Perisic has publicly supported both Van Bommel and Bosz before the Philips Stadion fixture.
