PSV Eindhoven resume their Eredivisie title pursuit on Saturday evening with a trip to Stadion de Goffert to face off against an in-form NEC side.
Meanwhile, the hosts set out to record a fourth win in six matches and take a step in the right direction in their hunt to secure continental football.
Match preview
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PSV Eindhoven were denied a sixth consecutive victory courtesy of a 1-1 stalemate against Vitesse when the teams locked horns at GelreDome a fortnight ago.
Ruud van Nistelrooy's men broke the deadlock after just eight minutes through Xavi Simons but Ibrahim Sangare inadvertently turned the ball into his own net just past the hour mark to even matters.
As a result, the Rood-witten have fallen eight points adrift of Feyenoord at the top of the Eredivisie table with 12 rounds of matches left to play.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit who have been beaten in each of the last 10 editions of this fixtures across all competitions dating back to 2013.
Ahead of their KNVB Beker last-four meeting against Spakenburg three days later, Saturday's hosts are faced with a must-win assignment if they are to stand any chance of ending a five-year wait for league glory.
NEC Nijmegen saw off the threat of RKC Waalwijk following a comprehensive 3-1 victory at the Abe Lenstra Stadion just before the international break.
Rogier Meijer's men went into the break with a three-goal advantage thanks to two goals from Oussama Tannane either side of Elayis Tavsan's strike before Vurnon Anita pulled one back 15 minutes into the second period.
With 34 points from their 26 outings so far, the Eniesee sit eighth in the league standings, four points behind FC Utrecht in the battle for the final Conference League playoff spot.
Unbeaten in 13 home games in a row since August, Saturday's hosts have shown that they are no certainly no pushovers in front of their fans and will be confident of picking up a positive result here.
Team News
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PSV's Walter Benitez continues to battle with a knee problem, meaning that Joel Drommel is set to retain his place between the sticks for the fifth consecutive game.
Mauro Junior and Armando Obispo also miss out due to knee injuries, while Fode Fofana remains without an appearance since late January due to a muscle injury.
Nineteen-year-old Xavi Simons registered his 13th league goal of the campaign last time out and currently leads the way in the Eredivisie scoring charts.
NEC's Mathias de Wolf remains unavailable for selection, with the 21-year-old still yet to recuperate from a torn muscle which he suffered earlier this season.
Robin Roefs and Calvin Verdonk are also sidelined for this weekend's contest, but the former is drawing increasingly close to making a return to action.
NEC possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; El Karouani, Kramer, Marquez, Van Rooy; Proper, Schone; Tannane, Mattsson, Tavsan; Dimata
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Drommel; Van Aanholt, Branthwaite, Ramalho, Mwene; Veerman, Simons, Sangare; Silva, De Jong, El-Ghazi
We say: NEC 1-2 PSV Eindhoven
NEC have established themselves as a real force to reckon with in front of their fans but this weekend's contest against a side of PSV's quality represents a tough assignment nonetheless. While we expect the hosts to put up a decent fight, we are tipping the visitors to carry the day come the sound of the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
