Sports Mole previews Friday’s Eredivisie clash between PSV Eindhoven and Fortuna Sittard, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Peter Bosz‘s team have won four league matches on the trot ahead of Friday’s round 11 match against Fortunezen, who are winless in this fixture since May 1999.
Match preview
Ismael Saibari was the game-changer in last weekend’s top-of-the-table clash between league-leading Feyenoord and defending champions PSV at De Kuip, scoring a remarkable hat-trick to inflict the Stadium Club’s first Eredivisie loss.
That victory levelled the Eindhoven giants with Robin van Persie‘s team ahead of the 11th round, and the Peasants could become sole table toppers at the end of the gameweek if Feyenoord slip up in Saturday’s late clash with FC Volendam.
With the hosts playing first this weekend, maximum points place some pressure on the joint leaders, who play 24 hours later, to match Bosz’s team if they wish to maintain their position in the standings.
Although they have won four league games consecutively going into this weekend, one win in three at Philips Stadion — consisting of one draw and one defeat — highlights recent inconsistency in Eindhoven, where they seek to win consecutive matches since August’s 6-1 and 4-2 victories over Sparta Rotterdam and Groningen, respectively.
The home supporters will approach Friday’s contest with optimism, given that Fortuna have fallen to defeat in Eindhoven every time since managing a 1-1 draw in December 2000.
Fifteen years have passed since Fortuna last avoided losing at Philips Stadion, and Danny Buijs‘s team face the uphill challenge of breaking that run against the division’s form side.
That task is all the more demanding due to Fortunezen suffering consecutive defeats and three setbacks in the past four gameweeks.
With FSC unable to find success on their travels, three consecutive away defeats and four in five away trips highlight Fortuna’s struggles outside of Limburg province.
Missing in two of those three defeats further emphasises their difficulty scoring away, where their three points on the road make up 23.1% of their total tally of 13.
Although results have been more impressive at home, they are fighting a losing battle to avoid a fourth consecutive away league defeat.
Winning against Gemert in the domestic cup during the week offers some relief away from home, though facing PSV in Eindhoven is a different level of challenge: from fourth-tier opponents to top-tier teams.
PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:
PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):
Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:
Fortuna Sittard form (all competitions):
Team News
With PSV sustaining no apparent new injuries against Feyenoord, Bosz’s team remains without long-term absentees Ruben van Bommel (knee), Kiliann Sildillia (muscle) and Alassane Plea (knee).
Following last weekend’s hat-trick, Saibari is now the Peasants’ top scorer with six goals, surpassing Joey Veerman and Guus Til (four each) ahead of gameweek 11.
Ivan Perisic leads the assist chart with five, ahead of Veerman (four) and Mauro Junior (three) heading into this weekend’s clash against out-of-form Fortuna.
The visitors face several injury issues, with Alen Halilovic (ankle), Edouard Michut, Daley Sinkgraven (knee), Syb van Ottele (muscle) and Ramazan Bayram (knee) all sidelined.
Having each scored three goals this season, Mohamed Ihattaren and Paul Gladon both aim to increase their overall tallies on Friday, even if they might need to influence proceedings as substitutes.
Makan Aiko and Dimitris Limnios have both assisted in two goals, showcasing some creativity, especially since the latter has also created two clear-cut chances.
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Dest, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Salah-Eddine; Junior, Veerman; Man, Saibari, Perisic; Til
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Branderhorst; Pinto, Adewoye, Marquez, Dahlhaus; Brittijn, Fosso, Lonwijk; Limnios, Sierhuis, Peterson
We say: PSV Eindhoven 3-1 Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna may have scored in each of their last three visits to Eindhoven, but PSV have won every time, outscoring their Limburg visitors 9-3.
Another victory at Philips Stadion is expected on Friday, with Bosz’s team set to secure a fifth top-flight win and move to the top of the table, at least for 24 hours.
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