Just a week before facing off in the KNVB Beker final, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax will do battle at the Philips Stadion in the Eredivisie. The two teams, who are set to miss out on this season’s title, are neck-and-neck in the top-flight standings with 62 points each after 29 games, with the visitors sitting in second and above the hosts only on goal difference.
PSV Eindhoven extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 11 matches when they secured maximum points in an entertaining 3-2 victory away against FC Volendam last weekend. Guus Til netted either side of half time, while Luuk de Jong was also on the scoresheet, increasing his goal tally for the season to 10, to help the Rood-Witten win their fourth successive match.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men are set to settle for a fifth straight season without winning the Eredivisie title as they, along with Ajax, currently sit eight points behind runaway leaders Feyenoord with only five games remaining. PSV boast the best home record in the Dutch top flight so far this season, winning 12 and drawing one of their 14 matches at the Philips Stadion while also scoring 46 goals in the process – more than any other team in the division.
The Rood-Witten will fancy their chances of extending their impressive unbeaten run on Sunday having beaten Ajax in each of their last three meetings, including a 2-1 away league victory in November, and will be looking to complete their first league double over their Dutch rivals since the 2004-05 campaign.
Hopes of winning a fifth successive Eredivisie title seem all but over for Ajax this term, with Johnny Heitinga’s side now looking to finish best of the rest in second place, and a victory over PSV would provide a boost in their bid to achieve that minor target.
Ajax head to the Philips Stadion unbeaten in their last 10 Eredivisie away games, scoring a total of 28 goals and netting at least three in six of those games during this run – a goalless draw was played out at Go Ahead Eagles in their most recent away match, though. Heitinga, who lost five of his nine encounters with PSV as a player with Ajax, will be keen for his side to continue their unbeaten run and lay down a marker on Sunday ahead of next weekend’s Dutch Cup final.
