Two old foes will clash in the KNVB Beker quarter-finals on Wednesday evening, when PSV Eindhoven welcome Feyenoord to the Philips Stadion.
While Eredivisie leaders PSV spilled two points at the weekend, their rivals from Rotterdam suffered a last-gasp Der Klassieker defeat to Ajax.
Match preview
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Bringing them back down to earth after beating Champions League leaders Liverpool in midweek, PSV fumbled a 3-1 lead during second-half stoppage time as they drew Saturday's six-goal thriller with NEC Nijmegen.
Goals from Luuk de Jong, Ismael Saibari and Johan Bakayoko put the Eindhoven club in charge of proceedings, but NEC then bit back and snatched an improbable point.
Nonetheless, having previously secured a playoff spot in the Champions League, PSV still sit three points clear at the top of the Dutch top flight - albeit Ajax are now just two points behind with one game in hand.
Failing to hang on for victory continued a trend that will worry head coach Peter Bosz. Since the start of the year, a distinct domestic dip has taken place: in 2025, his team have recorded one league win in four so far.
It also required extra time to overcome Excelsior in the KNVB Beker's last 16, following a dramatic 3-3 draw after 90 minutes: Ricardo Pepi and Ivan Perisic both struck to help PSV avoid the lottery of penalties in a 5-4 win.
The quarter-final draw then saw them miss out on meeting one of two amateur clubs remaining, instead pitching Bosz against the club he represented over 100 times in his playing days.
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Feyenoord's February fixture list starts in the toughest fashion, as after contesting Der Klassieker against arch-rivals Ajax, they must now head to Eindhoven.
The Rotterdammers also met PSV in the cup last season, winning 1-0 at De Kuip with a goal from Quinten Timber, before going on to beat NEC in the final.
This term, they have already progressed past MVV and Rijnsburgse Boys to reach the quarter-finals, and retaining the KNVB Beker represents their best chance of lifting some silverware.
In fact, reports emerged that only a recent 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich saved Brian Priske's job, following a series of disappointing results in the Eredivisie.
Arne Slot's successor has struggled to convince, and his team lie 14 points adrift of PSV in the table - just outside the European places. Although they still wrapped up a playoff spot, Feyenoord also lost 6-1 to Lille in their last Champions League fixture.
They suffered another setback on Sunday, when Timber's second-half leveller seemed to have them on track for a 1-1 draw with Ajax; the Amsterdam giants then scored again in added time, putting Priske under even more pressure.
Team News
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Peter Bosz has recently lost PSV's top scorer Ricardo Pepi to an ACL injury suffered in the Champions League win over Liverpool, while centre-back Olivier Boscagli has also been ruled out for the foreseeable future.
In Pepi's absence, veteran striker Luuk de Jong should lead the hosts' attack in midweek, having taken his seasonal tally to 10 Eredivisie goals on Saturday.
Malik Tillman, Noa Lang and Sergino Dest are sidelined too, but wingers Ivan Perisic and Johan Bakayoko are both available to support De Jong up front.
Meanwhile, the exit of Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez has served a huge blow to Feyenoord, with the 23-year-old sealing his move to AC Milan last weekend.
Furthermore, injury-plagued goalkeeper Justin Bijlow missed Der Klassieker, so Timon Wellenreuther may be asked to deputise again. Calvin Stengs could also join longer-term absentees Jordan Lotomba and Ramiz Zerrouki on the sidelines.
In a rare piece of good news for besieged boss Brian Priske, captain Quinten Timber made his return with a goal against Ajax and should now be ready to start.
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Ledesma, Flamingo, Obispo, Junior; Veerman, Schouten; Bakayoko, Saibiri, Perisic; De Jong
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Nieuwkoop, Trauner, Hancko, Bueno; Milambo, Timber, Hwang; Hadj-Moussa, Ueda, Paixao
We say: PSV Eindhoven 2-1 Feyenoord
PSV can gain vengeance for their cup exit at Feyenoord's hands last year, as they have home advantage and their visitors are increasingly inconsistent.
The Dutch champions and current Eredivisie leaders should score at least twice en route to the KNVB Beker semi-finals.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
