SOCCER
Why isn’t Hirving Lozano playing for PSV against Juventus in Champions League game 1?
Lozano is unavailable to PSV Eindhoven boss Peter Bosz, as the Dutchmen kick off their European campaign in Turin.
Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano will miss PSV Eindhoven’s UEFA Champions League opener against Juventus today, as the winger recovers from an injury suffered earlier this month.
What injury does ‘Chucky’ Lozano have?
PSV announced on September 6 that Lozano had picked up a muscle problem in a practice match against Belgians KRC Genk. The Dutch champions offered no timeline on his return to action.
The Mexican had been in fine form, scoring four times and supplying one assist in four Eredivisie games this term. His most recent strike, in a 3-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles on September 1, was his 50th for PSV, leading the club to pay tribute to the feat at last weekend’s home league match against NEC.
Lozano was presented with a plaque commemorating his half-century of PSV goals, which have come across two spells at Philips Stadion. He netted 40 times in 79 appearances for the club between 2017 and 2019, and has scored 10 goals in 37 games since rejoining from Italians Napoli in summer 2023.
Capped 70 times by Mexico, the 29-year-old is poised to move to the United States in January 2025, having agreed to join expansion franchise San Diego FC ahead of the Californians’ inaugural season in Major League Soccer.
Who do PSV play in UCL league phase?
In Lozano’s absence on Saturday, PSV warmed up for their match-up with Juve by beating NEC 2-0 - a result that left Peter Bosz’s men two points clear at the top of the Eredivisie, with five wins out of five.
European Cup winners in 1988, PSV are preparing for their 18th season in the Champions League proper, having last year reached the tournament’s knockout stages for the first time since 2016.
After facing Juve in their opening game, the Dutchmen’s path in the competition’s new ‘league phase’ sees them play Sporting CP, Paris Saint-Germain, Girona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Brest, Red Star Belgrade and Liverpool.
See also
Juventus vs PSV: start time, how to watch
On matchday one of the 2024/25 Champions League, Juventus host PSV at Allianz Stadium, Turin, at 12:45pm ET/9:45am PT. TV viewers in the United States will be able to watch the game on Paramount+, TUDN USA, UniMás and ViX.