PSV Eindhoven vs Copenhagen: UEFA Europa Conference League background, form guide, previous meetings

Experienced European campaigners PSV Eindhoven and FC Copenhagen have been drawn together for only the second time in UEFA competition, with the Dutch side hosting the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 tie.

• PSV finished third in their UEFA Europa League group, behind Monaco and Real Sociedad on eight points, following a 3-0 defeat in Spain on Matchday 6, but came through their UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round play-off against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, winning 1-0 at home before drawing 1-1 away.

• Copenhagen were winners of UEFA Europa Conference League Group F in the autumn, ending up with 15 points in a section that included PAOK, Slovan Bratislava and Lincoln Red Imps.

Previous meetings
• The clubs' only previous encounters came in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage, PSV winning 1-0 in Eindhoven before holding Copenhagen to a 1-1 draw in the Danish capital a fortnight later.

• PSV's overall record against Danish clubs is W6 D1 L1. They have won all four home games and all three previous two-legged knockout ties, the most recent against Midtjylland earlier this season in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (3-0 h, 1-0 a).

• Copenhagen's other three UEFA contests with Dutch clubs have all been against Ajax, the Danish side winning the first two ties thanks to second-leg victories in Amsterdam but losing the most recent, in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League round of 16, when they won the home leg 2-1 before a 0-2 defeat in the return. Their record in the Netherlands is therefore W2 L2.

Form guide
PSV
• PSV were runners-up to Ajax in the 2020/21 Eredivisie, finishing 16 points behind the Amsterdam club. Roger Schmidt's team coasted through two UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds this season, eliminating Galatasaray and Midtjylland, but came unstuck in the play-offs against Benfica (1-2 a, 0-0 h).

• The Eindhoven club therefore competed in the UEFA Europa League group stage for a record-equalling ninth season, but they failed to secure a sixth qualification for the competition's knockout phase, beating Sturm Graz twice (4-1 a, 2-0 h) but taking just one point off each of the teams that finished above them – Real Sociedad (2-2 h, 0-3 a) and Monaco (1-2 h, 0-0 a).

• PSV began this European campaign with two big wins in Eindhoven, 5-1 against Galatasaray and that 3-0 success against Midtjylland, to add to three in a row from last season, but were without a victory in three home European encounters (D2 L1) until they overcame Sturm on Matchday 5.

Copenhagen
• Copenhagen competed in a 14th UEFA group stage campaign in the autumn, having missed out last season when they were eliminated in the UEFA Europa League play-offs by Rijeka (0-1 h). They finished third in the Danish Superliga, six points behind champions Brøndby.

• Jess Thorup's side made light work of their three UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying ties, scoring 21 goals in overcoming Torpedo Zhodino, Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Sivasspor. It was similarly plain sailing in the group stage, Copenhagen doing the double over Slovan (3-1 a, 2-0 h) and Lincoln (3-1 h, 4-0 a) and trading 2-1 away wins with PAOK, who finished four points behind them as runners-up.

• Copenhagen have won eight of their last 12 European away games, losing just one. Furthermore, they have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last 23 European away fixtures (W13 D6 L4).

UEFA Europa Conference League squad changes
PSV
In: Nathangelo Markelo, Ismael Saibari, Joey Veerman (Heerenveen)
Out: Derrick Luckassen (Fatih Karagümrük, loan), Emmanuel Matuta (Groningen), Davy Pröpper (retired), Dante Rigo (Beerschot)

Copenhagen
In: Khouma Babacar (Sassuolo), Roony Bardgji, Denis Vavro (Lazio, loan)
Out: Pierre Bengtsson (Djurgården), Ruben Gabrielsen (Austin), Rasmus Højlund (Sturm Graz), Kamil Wilczek (Piast Gliwice), Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg)

Links and trivia 
• Danish international striker Nicolai Jørgensen left Copenhagen for Feyenoord in 2016 and spent the next five seasons with the Rotterdam club, scoring 56 goals in 144 matches, two of them in nine games against PSV (W6 D1 L2) and another past their current goalkeeper Joël Drommel, then of Twente, in a 3-1 away win in April 2018.

• Copenhagen full-back Kevin Diks is a Dutchman who played in his homeland for Vitesse (2014–16, 2017) and Feyenoord (2017/18). His five games against PSV all ended in defeat.

• Nicolai Boilesen started his career in the Netherlands with Ajax, making 71 senior appearances for the club before joining Copenhagen in 2016. His record against PSV was W2 D1 L2.

• André Ramalho (PSV) and Peter Ankersen (Copenhagen) were Austrian Bundesliga title winners with Salzburg in 2014/15.

• PSV boss Schmidt led Bayer Leverkusen to a comprehensive victory against Copenhagen in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League play-offs (3-2 a, 4-0 h).

• The Dutch club's English winger Noni Madueke celebrates his 20th birthday on the day of the game, while Copenhagen's Norwegian defender Ruben Gabrielsen turns 30.

• PSV are one of three former European Cup/UEFA Champions League winners in the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 – along with Marseille and domestic rivals Feyenoord.

• The Eindhoven club are joined by three other Dutch sides in the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 – AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord and Vitesse. The only other country with more than one representative is France, with two – Marseille and Rennes.

• Copenhagen are the current leaders of the Danish Superliga, three points ahead of Midtjylland and Brøndby, while PSV sit second in the Dutch Eredivisie, two points behind Ajax.