- Title: NETHERLANDS: ARSENAL AND PSV PREPARE FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCH
- Date: 23rd November 2004
- Summary: EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS (NOVEMBER 23, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE SHOT INTERIOR PHILIPS STADION 2. VARIOUS PSV EINDHOVEN TRAINING 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) MARK VAN BOMMEL SPEAKING: "Arsenal is a very big club but they are not in great shape at the moment but that doesn't matter much for them because they have a lot of quality so one or two players can decide the game and that is what we will have to watch out for tomorrow, that one mistake will not be fatal for us." 4. VARIOUS PSV TRAINING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) PHILIP COCU SPEAKING: "I think we will play the way we have been playing lately; we have kept a clean sheet for quite a few games so I don't think we need to change anything in the way we play. Despite the great players that they have we will just have to go on and do it. When we played away against them last time we did fine and managed to make it difficult for them so now we have to take one extra step and hopefully the result will come our way." 6. VARIOUS PSV TRAINING 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PSV COACH GUUS HIDDINK SPEAKING: "I can say that with these accusations there was a harmful situation in the past which was damaging to PSV because well informed people know that PSV is one of the most open clubs in Holland and Europe regarding racism, and it's a rather severe accusation of the English press which angers us. There was some trouble a few years ago as well when the press made a lot of fuss about those things and that's not right, that's not fair either." 8. WIDE SHOT PSV EINDHOVEN NEWS CONFERENCE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PSV COACH GUUS HIDDINK SPEAKING ABOUT THE MATCH 10. INTERIOR PHILIPS STADION 11. ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE WENGER ENTERS NEWS CONFERENCE 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENE WENGER SPEAKING "I feel as well that in every game of course we ...I think the worst game we played was against Eindhoven at home but all the other games we should have won quite in a comfortable way so we just keep going and in the end I feel we are good enough to go forward and that the next two games should show that." 13. JOURNALISTS 14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENE WENGER SPEAKING "Because I cannot feel that Holland is a racist country and I'm not concerned about that, we have to focus on the game and I don't believe that it is a moment an issue but I do not want to deny because we have of course to kick any hostile and any racist reaction out of any football pitch, but I don't see that that could be a problem here in Eindhoven." 15. WIDE SHOT NEWS CONFERENCE 16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL PLAYER KOLO TOURE SPEAKING "Yeah, definitely but I think we are really strong like the boss said, we are really focused and we know we've got a really players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Robert Pires, we are really confident and now I think we have just to focus and try to get that point." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th December 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS
- Country: Netherlands
- Reuters ID: LVA80ULG47R5LVH0YT50VOA41FEC
- Story Text: Arsenal and PSV prepare for Wednesday's Champions
League match.
After failing in eight attempts, PSV Eindhoven can
finally reach the Champions League's knockout phase on Wednesday
(Novem
ber 24) if they beat a struggling Arsenal
side at the Philips Stadion.
Top of Group E with nine points, the Dutch team already
have a clear lead over Arsenal (6 pts), Panathinaikos (5
pts) and Rosenborg Trondheim (1 pt) and could even qualify
for the last 16 with a defeat if Rosenborg were to lose in
Athens.
Based on an extremely solid defence, PSV will be
looking to crown an excellent start to the domestic season
which has taken them five points clear at the top of the
Dutch standings.
Despite the loss of forwards Mateja Kezman and Arjen
Robben to Chelsea, coach Guus Hiddink used the close season
to add an excellent Brazilian central defender, Alex, and
an experienced midfielder, Philip Cocu, to his squad.
The result has been a tight formation which has kept a
clean sheet in the Dutch league for 940 minutes and has
only conceded two goals in four Champions League matches to
date.
The only personnel problem facing Hiddink, besides the
long-term injured John de Jong and Kasper Bogelund, is a
shoulder problem which has sidelined striker Jan Vennegoor
of Hesselink until the winter break in December and
possibly beyond.
The setback leaves Gerald Sibon, who has spent most of
the season on the bench, as PSV's only central striker. The
former Sheffield Wednesday forward has only started two
games, the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal and a goalless draw at
Utrecht.
Players Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu looked forward
to the match, van Bommel saying Arsenal were not at their
best at the moment but had enough quality players to punish
opponents' mistakes. Cocu said PSV, who have been defending
well in recent games, would stick to their usual game.
Without Vennegoor of Hesselink, PSV may find it harder
to exploit the weaknesses of an Arsenal defence which has
been leaking goals since an October injury to England
central defender Sol Campbell.
A spate of draws in both the Premier League and
Champions League has led to Arsenal losing their
top-of-the-table slot at home and facing the danger of a
costly European flop at the very first hurdle.
Campbell could make his comeback on Wednesday, although
he may well be saved for the weekend league game against
Liverpool, while Arsene Wenger is definitely without either
of his Brazilian midfielders, Edu and Gilberto, through
injury.
Spaniard Francesc Fabregas, just 17, will be expected
to keep filling the gap in the middle alongside captain
Patrick Vieira.
Much will be expected of France striker Thierry Henry,
who has a niggling Achilles problem, and another promising
young Spaniard, Jose Antonio Reyes. Should they fail to
sparkle, Wenger's much-vaunted side risk falling even
further behind in the race to the last 16.
Arsenal defender Kolo Toure said his side are confident
and focused on Wednesday's match.
On Sunday, PSV beat Vitesse Arnhem 2-0 in the Dutch
first division but the game was marred by a 15-minute
suspension after the referee was abused by Arnhem
supporters.
After PSV went in front in the 56th minute through
Gerald Sibon the home fans vented their anger at referee
Ruud Bossen when he sent off Michael Dingsdag six minutes
later for elbowing.
Bossen took the teams off while tempers cooled and the
home players appealed to their supporters for calm.
It is the second time in little more than a month that
a Dutch league match involving PSV has been halted by a
referee following insults from the crowd. In October,
referee Rene Temmink ended a match with ADO Den Haag 10
minutes early with PSV leading 2-0 after he was subjected
to chants.
Hiddink is wary of what he clearly believes is an
attempt by the English press to introduce a racial element
into the game following the recent racial abuse suffered by
England's black players in the recent friendly against
Spain in Madrid.
German referee Herbert Fandel has reportedly warned that
he will halt the game if fans racially abuse the players
and Hiddink defended PSV as one of the most open clubs in
Europe.
Probable teams: PSV: 1-Gomes; 2-Andre Ooijer, 4-Alex, 5- Wilfred
B
ouma,
3-Lee Young-pyo; 6-Mark van Bommel, 8-Philip Cocu,
14-Johann Vogel; 7-Park Ji-sung, 35-Gerald Sibon,
17-Jefferson Farfan
Arsenal: 1-Jens Lehmann; 12-Lauren, 18-Pascal Cygan,
28-Kolo Toure, 3-Ashley Cole; 8-Fredrik Ljungberg,
4-Patrick Vieira, 15-Cesc Fabregas, 7-Robert Pires; 9-Jose
Antonio Reyes, 14-Thierry Henry
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)
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