PSV Eindhoven fans are set to go through 90 minutes of pure emotion tonight when they host CSKA Moscow knowing a win will seal Champions League Group Stage qualification for the first time in almost a decade.
Last month we experienced first hand at pitchside the passion and ecstasy of victory on Champions League night at the Philips Stadion as our hosts for the evening beat Wolfsburg 2-0 to keep their dream alive and a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford followed to set up an explosive finale against the Russians tonight. PSV is local club with a global presence, it's very much a club for the people of the city, it's the heartbeat in a community that has a population of under 220,000, in Champions League terms PSV are minnows but they know how to punch.
From the first whistle to the last, the Champions League gives PSV fans the opportunity to represent not just their club but their community and they embrace their underdog status by creating a cauldron of noise. The UCL is unique for PSV, the big fish jumps out of the small pond and into the ocean and that excites the proud locals, the players and the city who all raise their game. The city of Eindhoven has waited a long time for nights like tonight and if qualification is secured then the scenes we captured against Wolfsburg will look tame to say the least.
Full house, European football under the lights, everything to play for, there's not many places we'd rather be come kick off at the Philips Stadion tonight. The 'Farmers' as they call themselves are ready, with proverbial pitchforks in hand. Game on.