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PSV
Eredivisie | Gameweek 17
Jan 13, 2024 at 8pm UK
Philips Stadion
Excelsior

PSV
3 - 1
Excelsior

de Jong (13', 17', 69')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Preview: PSV Eindhoven vs. SBV Excelsior - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Eredivisie clash between PSV Eindhoven and SBV Excelsior, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

PSV Eindhoven return from their winter training camp when they play host to SBV Excelsior at the Philips Stadion in round 17 of the Eredivisie on Saturday.

Off the back of an outstanding first half of the season, the Rood-witten currently boast a 10-point lead at the top of the table and will be looking to continue their perfect league campaign.


Match preview

PSV Eindhoven's Yorbe Vertessen celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on December 12, 2023© Reuters

PSV Eindhoven took the pitch for the first time in the new year as they featured in two consecutive mid-season friendlies against Heracles and Hamburger last Sunday.

After playing out a 1-1 draw with Heracles in the first of the two games behind closed doors, Luuk de Jong grabbed the headlines against the German outfit as he struck twice in the first half to force a 2-2 stalemate.

Prior to their winter training camp, the Rood-witten picked up an emphatic 4-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion on December 17 courtesy of goals from Ismael Saibari, Sergino Dest a brace from De Jong.

PSV have now gone unbeaten in each of their last eight matches across all competitions, a run which has seen them reach the knockout stages of the Champions League after finishing second in Group B with nine points from six matches.

Peter Bosz's men now turn their attention to the Eredivisie, where they have been simply outstanding this season, winning all 16 matches so far to sit top of the table, with a healthy 10-point lead over second-placed Feyenoord.

Having scored a staggering 56 goals, not only do PSV boast the meanest attack in the division, but they have conceded the fewest number of goals (6) while keeping 11 clean sheets in their 16 games so far.

PSV Eindhoven coach Peter Bosz reacts on November 29, 2023© Reuters

Excelsior gained some respite in their final game of the year as they scraped a 3-2 extra-time victory over Tweede Divisie outfit Spakenburg in the second round of the KNVB Beker.

With nothing to separate both sides after 90 minutes at the Sportpark De Westmaat, Serbian centre-forward Nikolas Agrafiotis rose to the occasion as he netted the winning goal just nine minutes into extra time.

Prior to that, Excelsior were on a run of seven consecutive matches without a win across all competitions, losing twice and picking up five draws since edging out Den Bosch 2-1 in the first round of the cup on November 1.

While the victory over Spakenburg came three weeks ago, head coach Marinus Dijkhuizen will hope that his side can carry on that momentum into this weekend as they look to end their nine-match winless run in the Eredivisie.

Excelsior's last league victory dates back to October 1, when they edged out Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 at the Stadion Woudestein courtesy of second-half goals from Arthur Zagre and Irish striker Troy Parrott.

However, next up is the stern challenge of taking on a PSV side who have won each of the most recent nine encounters between the teams and are unbeaten in their previous 22 meetings, claiming 20 wins and two draws.

PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:


PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):


SBV Excelsior Eredivisie form:


SBV Excelsior form (all competitions):


Team News

PSV Eindhoven's Luuk De Jong celebrates scoring their first goal on November 8, 2023© Reuters

PSV will have to cope without 22-year-old midfielder Ismael Saibari, who is currently away on international duty with the Morocco national team at the Africa Cup of Nations.

On the injury front, Bosz will be unable to call upon the services of Armel Bella-Kotchap and Dutch forward Noa Lang, who are currently recuperating from shoulder and muscle injuries respectively.

With 12 league goals under his belt, De Jong currently ranks third in the Eredivisie scoring chart and we expect the 33-year-old, who has started all 16 league games so far, to spearhead the Rood-witten attack once again, alongside Johan Bakayoko and Malik Tillman.

Excelsior remain without several key players down the spine of the team as the midfield trio of Serano Seymor (foot), Raphael Eyongo (ankle) and Lennard Hartjes (knee) all continue their spells on the sidelines.

Dutch defender Kik Pierie suffered a foot injury back in August while 25-year-old forward Jacky Donkor has been sidelined since November 2022 through a knee problem.


PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Teze, Schouten, Boscagli, Dest; Til, Veerman, Goudmijn; Bakayoko, De Jong, Tillman

SBV Excelsior possible starting lineup:
Van Gassel; Horemans, Nieuwpoort, Widell, El Yaakoubi, Smeulers; Lamprou, Naujoks, Baas, Driouech; Parrott


SM words green background

We say: PSV Eindhoven 3-0 SBV Excelsior

Excelsior scraped a narrow cup win last time out and are in for another tough 90 minutes against a high-flying PSV side. Bosz's men have been utterly dominant in the history of this fixture, and given the gulf in quality and experience between the two sides, we are backing the hosts to come away with all three points unscathed.



For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 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.Under 2.5:data


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Game History

How you voted: PSV vs Excelsior

PSV Eindhoven
83.3%
Draw
5.6%
SBV Excelsior
11.1%
18
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1PSV EindhovenPSV1312014593636
2FC UtrechtUtrecht12101122121031
3Ajax1292127111629
4Feyenoord1384131131828
5FC Twente1374226121425
6AZ AlkmaarAZ1362525151020
7Go Ahead Eagles135351820-218
8Fortuna SittardSittard135261418-417
9NECNijmegen135172012816
10Willem II134451514116
11NAC BredaNAC Breda135171423-916
12Heerenveen134271326-1314
13Heracles133461425-1113
14PEC Zwolle133371424-1012
15Groningen133371224-1212
16Sparta RotterdamSparta132561320-711
17Almere CityAlmere City13139630-246
18RKC WaalwijkRKC Waalwijk1312101233-215


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