PSV vs Villarreal Prediction: Friendly Betting Tips & Odds

PSV Eindhoven and Villarreal meet at the Philips Stadion on Sunday morning New Zealand time in a pre-season friendly, with both clubs gearing up for Champions League campaigns next season.

In this PSV vs Villarreal preview, I look at how both sides finished last season and where the goals might come from here. I’ve got a BTTS angle at a solid price for those keen on some football betting this week.

PSV

PSV are coming off a dominant Eredivisie season. They won their 27th title with 84 points, scoring 101 goals in 34 games. No side in the Netherlands came close to matching that output.

Their pre-season has been open. A 1-1 draw with Antwerp was followed by a 3-2 extra-time win over Rakow Czestochowa. Then a 7-3 affair against Union Saint-Gilloise. Goals everywhere.

Paul Wanner is heading into his second season after signing permanently from Bayern Munich, and with Ismael Saibari gone the other way to Bayern for around 55 million euros, more responsibility falls on him this time around. Joey Veerman is still the heartbeat. Ricardo Pepi is very much in the squad too despite links to Napoli and Fulham.

Team News: Plea is a doubt with a knee problem. Van Bommel and Driouech are also nursing injuries. Boadu’s fitness is uncertain after arriving on a free.

Predicted Lineup: Kovar; Sildillia, Schouten, Flamingo, Dest; Veerman, Wanner; Man, Til, Perisic; Pepi.

Villarreal

It’s been a summer of change at the Estadio de la Ceramica. 

Marcelino guided them to third in La Liga with 72 points and a Champions League spot, then left. Inigo Perez has come in from Rayo Vallecano, where he took them to a Conference League final.

Perez is a Bielsa disciple who likes pressing and intensity. I doubt much of that system comes through this early, but the squad he’s inherited is deep. Georges Mikautadze scored 13 league goals last season, and Dani Parejo is still pulling strings at 37.

Their only pre-season outing so far was a 2-0 defeat to Benfica on July 17. Not ideal, but Villarreal only returned to training on July 9. I’d give them a pass on that one.

Alfonso Pedraza has left on a free, and Pape Gueye might follow with Manchester United reportedly interested. The core of last season’s squad is still in place, though.

Team News: No confirmed injuries for the new campaign. Perez will rotate freely. Rafa Marin’s loan from Napoli has ended, leaving their centre-back options thinner.

Predicted Lineup: Tenas; Mourino, Navarro, Kambwala, Freeman; Gueye, Parejo; Pepe, Moleiro, Ayoze Perez; Mikautadze.

• PSV have scored 11 goals across their three pre-season friendlies.
• Villarreal lost their only pre-season match 2-0 to Benfica on July 17.
• Villarreal won the last friendly between these sides 2-1 at the Philips Stadion in July 2022.
• Over 2.5 goals has come in during all three of PSV’s pre-season games.
• PSV conceded in all three of their pre-season friendlies.

I’m tipping PSV in this spot. They’re further along in their pre-season than Villarreal, who’ve only been back in training for a couple of weeks. This kind of fitness gap is usually the biggest factor in club friendlies like these.

PSV’s attack has been awesome. 11 goals in three games, and Bosz wants his team playing at tempo from day one. I reckon that approach will cause problems for a Villarreal side still working out how Perez wants them to operate.

I wouldn’t write Villarreal off entirely though. Their squad is a La Liga top-three squad, and even at 60% fitness, Mikautadze can punish loose defending. PSV have leaked goals in every friendly so far.

If you plan to get involved on any of the best betting apps, the BTTS and goals markets are where I’d be getting my money in.

Both Teams to Score @ $1.70

PSV have conceded in every pre-season game. They shipped three against Union Saint-Gilloise alone, and conceded twice more against Rakow. For all their attacking quality, the back line is still bedding in with Schouten at centre-back and new faces across the defence.

Villarreal need a response after the Benfica shutout, and they’ve got the quality up front to get at least one past a PSV defence in transition. Mikautadze and Moleiro are both capable of finding a way through in a game where PSV will be pushing forward.

At $1.70, I’m comfortable backing both sides to score on the best legal sports betting sites available in New Zealand.