Days after worsening Liverpool’s misery in the Champions League, PSV Eindhoven return to domestic action on Sunday, when promoted FC Volendam visit Philips Stadion in the Eredivisie.
Peter Bosz’s team have not dropped points in the league since September — a 2-2 draw with De Topper rivals Ajax — and enter this weekend’s round 14 match as heavy favourites to extend their 31-year unbeaten record against the visiting side.
Match preview
PSV had never tasted victory at Anfield in their three previous visits, but that changed this week, as the Dutch giants plunged the Reds to deeper depths with a 4-1 triumph on Merseyside.
The victory, only the Peasants’ second in Europe this season, lifted them to 15th in the 36-team league phase, as they return to the regular rhythm of league football.
Domestically, Bosz’s team have been dominant, with their previous 1-0 win over NAC Breda in the 13th gameweek and Feyenoord’s third top-flight defeat in four games, opening a six-point lead at the top of the standings.
Unbeaten in the league since a shock home defeat by promoted Telstar in late August, and having not tasted defeat in all competitions since another loss to Union Saint-Gilloise in mid-September, PSV now aim to extend their 12-match unbeaten streak.
Domestic results see them unbeaten in the Eredivisie for nine matches, seven of which have been consecutive wins, and they now host an opponent that they have historically dominated: Volendam.
The promoted visitors have not defeated PSV since May 1994 and have not tasted success in Eindhoven in recorded history, highlighting the gap in quality across generations.
Since their 3-2 win over PSV 31 years ago, only twice have Palingboeren avoided defeat in this fixture — draws in November 1994 and April 1995 — with subsequent results unfavourable to them.
Entering Sunday on a 17-match losing streak against their hosts across all competitions, it will be interesting to see if Rick Kruys can mastermind a positive result in Eindhoven.
That uphill challenge appears even more unlikely, considering the results in their previous seven visits since a 1-1 draw in May 1995: 7-0, 6-0, 10-0, 7-0, 1-0, 7-1 and 3-1, with an aggregate score of 41-2.
Having already lost four of their six away matches (two draws) since regaining promotion to the top flight, the league’s 14th-placed side might be forgiven for expecting a fifth straight defeat on the road.
With 12 of their 14 points coming from home games, Volendam must find solutions on the road to avoid immediate relegation to the second tier, and they enter this weekend only two points above the drop zone, with a real risk of slipping into the dreaded zone if results turn unfavourably.
PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:
W
W
W
W
W
W
PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):
W
W
D
W
W
W
FC Volendam Eredivisie form:
L
L
W
L
W
D
FC Volendam form (all competitions):
L
W
W
L
W
D
Team News
© Iconsport
Ivan Perisic left the pitch with an apparent injury against Liverpool, but his replacement — Couhaib Driouech — scored a brace in just 20 minutes and is pushing for a starting place.
If the veteran winger is ruled out, he would join Alassane Plea and Ruben van Bommel on the sidelines, though any absence is expected to be precautionary.
Guus Til’s ninth league goal decided the match against NAC last weekend, and the makeshift No. 9 should lead the attack again this weekend, supported by Ismael Saibari, who has scored eight in the top flight.
The visitors came through last week’s 1-1 home draw with FC Twente unscathed, leaving Kruys with a healthy squad for this weekend.
While Henk Veerman has outscored his teammates, only one of his four goals has been away from home, further highlighting the team’s broader challenges on their travels, where they have netted only five.
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Dest, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Salah-Eddine; Junior, Veerman; Man, Saibari, Driouech; Til
FC Volendam possible starting lineup:
Van Oevelen; Ugwu, Amevor, Verschuren, Leliendal; Yah, Bukala; Kuwas, Van Cruijsen, Oehlers; Veerman
We say: PSV Eindhoven 4-1 FC Volendam
PSV hold the historical advantage, demonstrated by the 41-2 aggregate score in their last seven encounters against Volendam, along with current momentum and superior on-field quality.
The newcomers have yet to secure a victory away from home since their promotion, and that trend is likely to continue when they visit Eindhoven on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.