PSV Eindhoven get their 2021-22 Eredivisie campaign underway when they travel to the Erve Asito to lock horns against Heracles Almelo on Saturday.
The away side will be looking to go one better this time around after finishing as runners-up last time out, while the hosts go in search of a seventh consecutive top-half finish.
Match preview
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PSV continued their 100% start to the season as they edged Midtjylland 1-0 on Tuesday to secure a 4-0 victory on aggregate and progress into the last round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
Bruma came off the bench in the second half to score a stoppage-time winner for Roger Schmidt's men who will now face off against Benfica next Wednesday for a berth in Europe's premier club competition.
In the meantime, the Rood-witten prepare for the curtain raiser of their domestic season at a ground which holds happy memories for them in recent years.
Saturday's visitors are unbeaten on their last six trips in all competitions to the hosts stretching back to 2017, winning five of them and drawing one.
However, that solitary stalemate came in the most recent edition last September, when penalties from Rai Vloet and Philipp Max ensured a share of the spoils.
After losing their first three pre-season matches, Heracles have won three of the subsequent four, including a 3-1 triumph over PEC Zwolle on Saturday.
Delano Burgzorg and Slobodan Tedic netted for either side in the first half to keep the contest even going into the break, but Nikolai Laursen and Mohamed Amissi were on target in the second period as Frank Wormuth's ran out comfortable winners.
The Heraclieden amassed 28 of last season's 44 points on home turf, with only five teams in the entire division picking up one.
Saturday's hosts finished just three points off a European spot and a similar home record coupled with improved performances on the road could see them on course for continental football this term.
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Team News
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Maxime Delanghe has suffered a blow in his quest to break into the senior team as he is set to miss his side's season-opener with a shoulder injury.
Nineteen-year-old Mees Kreekels is sidelined with a muscle injury which has seen him miss all of his side's matches since April.
Following Donyell Malen's departure to Dortmund, Noni Madueke has come into his own of late, directly contributing to five goals in as many games this term.
New signing Robin Polley is currently nursing a knee problem and will have to wait a little longer for his Heracles debut.
German teenager Elias Oubella has made just one appearance since joining the visitors from Koln last year due to a damaged knee.
Heracles possible starting lineup:
Bucker; Knoester, Fadiga, Quagliata, Sonnenberg; Schoofs, Laursen, Kiomourtzoglou; Szoke, Vloet, Burgzorg
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Drommel; Max, Boscagli, Ramalho, Teze; Sangare, Propper, Gotze; Gakpo, Zahavi, Madueke
We say: Heracles 0-2 PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven have been in scintillating form this term, scoring goals for fun at one end and keeping clean sheets at the other. They boast a significantly better squad than their hosts, and we are tipping them to emerge victorious in this one.
Top tip
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 54.33%. A draw had a probability of 23.2% and a win for Heracles had a probability of 22.44%.
The most likely scoreline for a PSV Eindhoven win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.82%) and 0-2 (9.23%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.98%), while for a Heracles win it was 1-0 (6.15%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 9.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that PSV Eindhoven would win this match.
