PSV Eindhoven head into their KNVB Beker tie at Go Ahead Eagles on a high having reduced Ajax's lead in the Eredivisie to just two points over the weekend.

However, they face opponents in Go Ahead Eagles who stunned the Dutch giants at the weekend, setting up what should be a competitive clash at De Adelaarshorst.

Match preview

PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on February 17, 2022 © Reuters

Ahead of the weekend's fixtures, PSV's target would have been staying within five points of Ajax given that the pacesetters were facing a struggling Go Ahead Eagles side.

However, after coming from behind to post a 2-1 victory at Sparta Rotterdam, everyone associated with PSV watched on as Go Ahead Eagles produced one of the best performances in their history to beat Ajax by the same scoreline.

To put things into context, two of the seven goals that have been conceded by Ajax in the Eredivisie this season came during that match, and PSV will be boosted ahead of continuing to challenge for the league title.

In the short term, Roger Schmidt's team have put together a six-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, two of those games being played against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa Conference League.

With regards to the KNVB Beker, PSV have been provided with a favourable route to the last four with home wins being recorded against Fortuna Sittard, Telstar and NAC Breda.

Turning back to Go Ahead Eagles and they are undoubtedly the surprise participants at this stage of the competition, particularly given the manner of their progress.

Wins have been posted versus Almere City, Roda JC, Heerenveen and NEC without conceding a goal, some achievement when considering that they possess the fourth-worst defensive recorded in the Dutch top flight.

Go Ahead Eagles now sit in 13th position in the standings as a result of Sunday's memorable win, the club sitting seven points clear of the bottom three.

Inigo Cordoba scored his 10th goal of the campaign at the weekend, and head coach Kees van Wonderen will hope that the Spaniard can contribute to yet another historic result as they bid to reach the final of this competition for the first time since 1965.

Go Ahead Eagles KNVB Beker form:

Go Ahead Eagles form (all competitions):

PSV Eindhoven KNVB Beker form:

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

Team News

PSV Eindhoven coach Roger Schmidt in the Europa League on February 18, 2021 © Reuters

With this fixture representing PSV's third outing in less than a week, Schmidt will likely make several alterations to his PSV starting lineup.

Erick Gutierrez may return in place of Joey Veerman, with Ritsu Doan also in line for a recall ahead of Yorbe Vertessen.

Carlos Vinicius could also get the nod over veteran forward Eran Zahavi, who has played a number of games in quick succession.

Given the level of their performance at the weekend, Van Wonderen must decide whether to stick with the same Go Ahead Eagles XI or bring in fresh legs.

The likelihood is that he will try to find a balance, with the versatile Boyd Lucassen expected to be used in one of a number of potential roles.

Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
Noppert; Lucassen, Nauber, Kramer, Deijl; Rommens, Idzes, Brouwers, Oratmangoen; Cordoba, Lidberg

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Drommel; Junior, Teze, Boscagli, Max; Gutierrez, Sangare, Gotze; Madueke, Vinicius, Doan

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We say: Go Ahead Eagles 0-2 PSV Eindhoven

Both teams are having to deal with quick turnarounds, something which may add a bit of unpredictability about this contest. Nevertheless, we have to back PSV to come through, but not by the margin that many may have predicted before the weekend's results.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a PSV Eindhoven win with a probability of 62.93%. A draw had a probability of 20.3% and a win for Go Ahead Eagles had a probability of 16.77%.

The most likely scoreline for a PSV Eindhoven win was 0-2 with a probability of 10.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.94%) and 0-1 (9.74%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.52%), while for a Go Ahead Eagles win it was 2-1 (4.65%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that PSV Eindhoven would win this match.