Background: United's Depay makes swift PSV return
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Article summary
Memphis Depay makes a rapid return to PSV Eindhoven when Manchester United visit the Netherlands for their opening fixture in UEFA Champions League Group B.
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Article body
Memphis Depay makes a swift return to his old stamping ground when his Manchester United FC side visit PSV Eindhoven – the club he left in the summer – for their opening Group B fixture.
• Depay's return is not the only source of intrigue in a contest which pits home coach Phillip Cocu against Louis van Gaal, a man he played under for both FC Barcelona and the Netherlands.
Previous meetings
• PSV shrugged off an early Paul Scholes penalty to beat United 3-1 at home in the first group stage in 2000/01, Wilfred Bouma, Mark van Bommel and Mateja Kežman scoring.
• United turned the tables with a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford where Scholes and Dwight Yorke struck late goals after Van Bommel had equalised a Teddy Sheringham strike. Ryan Giggs, now Van Gaal's assistant manager, played in both matches for United who ended up qualifying in second place, a point above PSV.
• United also got the better of PSV in the 1984/85 UEFA Cup second round, Gordon Strachan's extra-time goal at Old Trafford securing a 1-0 aggregate win.
Match background
PSV
• Dutch champions PSV are in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since 2008/09.
• In last season's UEFA Europa League, they reached the round of 32 before losing to FC Zenit. They lost their last two home games of that campaign – 1-0 against both FC Dinamo Moskva and Zenit.
• PSV have lost their last three home games against Premier League teams. Their most recent success came when Cocu was still playing – 1-0 against Arsenal FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League round of 16.
• For Cocu this is the first taste of the UEFA Champions League proper as a coach. He was in charge when PSV lost to AC Milan in the 2013/14 play-offs.
Manchester United
• United are back in the UEFA Champions League after a season's exile. Fourth in the 2014/15 Premier League, they beat Club Brugge KV 7-1 on aggregate in last month's play-off round to secure their participation.
• United won 2-0 at AFC Ajax on their last visit to the Netherlands in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League round of 32, Ashley Young opening the scoring. David De Gea, Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney also played.
• Their record away to Dutch clubs is W2 D2 L2. United also played the 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup final in Rotterdam, beating Barcelona 2-1.
Coach and player links
• Cocu was a player in Van Gaal's Barcelona (1998–2000, 2002–03) and Netherlands (2000–01) teams.
• Cocu faced United once as a player – in Barça's 3-3 group stage draw at Old Trafford on 16 September 1998. Van Gaal was Barcelona coach at the time.
• The PSV coach's final UEFA Champions League campaign as a player ended with a quarter-final loss to Liverpool in 2006/07.
• When Van Gaal faced PSV as Barcelona coach in the 1997/98 group stage, his Barça side drew both games 2-2 and finished bottom with PSV advancing in second place.
• As Ajax coach, Van Gaal earned one win from six visits to PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie – a 4-1 triumph in 1994/95. With AZ Alkmaar, Van Gaal recorded one win in four league visits and also lost a Dutch Cup semi-final at PSV.
• Stijn Schaars, Simon Poulsen and Héctor Moreno were in Van Gaal's 2009 Eredivisie-winning team at AZ.
• Depay made 90 league appearances for PSV, scoring 39 goals, after coming through their youth ranks.
• Players who have played together:
Florian Jozefzoon & Daley Blind (Ajax 2010–12)
Jeroen Zoet, Jeffrey Bruma, Luuk de Jong, Luciano Narsingh & Depay, Blind (Netherlands)
Match facts
PSV
• PSV defeated FC Groningen 3-0 in the Dutch Super Cup on 2 August – their tenth triumph in the annual season curtain-raiser.
• Cocu's side are 12 games unbeaten in all competitions, winning 6-0 against SC Cambuur on Saturday.
• PSV announced on 31 August that all tickets for their three UEFA Champions League home games had sold out.
• Jetro Willems has yet to play this season having sustained a left knee ligament injury on 14 July.
• Jozefzoon has been sidelined since damaging right knee ligaments in January.
Manchester United
• Anthony Martial came off the bench to score on his debut in Saturday's 3-1 defeat of Liverpool FC.
• United kept a clean sheet in each of their first three Premier League games this season, finally conceding when André Ayew equalised just after the hour during the Red Devils' 2-1 defeat by Swansea City AFC on 30 August. Including the end of the 2014/15 campaign, that was the first time United's defence had been breached in 429 minutes of league play.
• The Swansea fixture was Van Gaal's 50th game as United manager.
• James Wilson scored on his England Under-21 debut as Gareth Southgate's team defeated a United States U23 side 1-0 on 3 September.
• Marcos Rojo helped Argentina to a 2-2 friendly draw with Mexico on 8 September – his first outing since the Copa América final in early July.
• Luke Shaw and Rooney started England's 6-0 victory in San Marino on 5 September – a win that confirmed their place at UEFA EURO 2016 – and the 2-0 triumph over Switzerland three days later. Chris Smalling featured in the latter fixture.
• Rooney became the first England player to reach 50 goals when he converted a spot kick versus Switzerland, breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old record he had equalled against San Marino.
• Carrick withdrew from the England squad to face Switzerland with a calf injury.
• Anthony Martial made his senior France debut in the UEFA EURO 2016 hosts' 1-0 friendly win against Portugal on 4 September.