Requiring just one more point to wrap up the Dutch title, PSV Eindhoven will welcome Europe-chasing Sparta Rotterdam to Philips Stadion on Sunday afternoon for an Eredivisie clash.
Boeren have enjoyed a sensational campaign so far, losing just the single match as they close in on top-flight supremacy, whilst Sparta are targeting a return to the continental stage.
Match preview
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PSV Eindhoven moved one step closer to lifting the Eredivisie trophy at the end of a marvellous campaign with an eight-goal demolition of Heerenveen at Abe Lenstra Stadion last Thursday, when the visitors extended their winning run in the division to four matches.
Looking to better their 6-0 thrashing of already-relegated Vitesse in the previous game, Boeren were characteristically ruthless versus Heerenveen and netted eight without reply from the hosts, with Guus Til and former Rangers loanee Malik Tillman both bagging braces.
After collecting a remarkable tally of 84 points from 31 Eredivisie contests, Peter Bosz‘s troops are on the verge of securing a 25th Dutch crown for PSV and their first since the 2017-18 term, with first place potentially being wrapped up at Philips Stadion on Sunday afternoon if all goes well.
Boeren are currently nine points clear of Arne Slot‘s second-placed Feyenoord outfit with three games left to play, meaning that anything other than defeat for PSV this weekend against Sparta Rotterdam would confirm their status as Eredivisie champions for the 2023-24 term.
The backbone of PSV’s sensational charge to the title has been their invincible run at Philips Stadion, with Sunday’s hosts dropping just two points in front of their home faithful across 15 Eredivisie contests to date.
Although PSV are the overwhelming favourites for success on Sunday afternoon, Sparta Rotterdam will arrive in Eindhoven enjoying a good spell of form, with the visitors losing just one of their last six Eredivisie matches, as well as winning back-to-back games since the middle of April.
Last Sunday saw Sparta host 17th-placed Volendam at Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel, and despite the contrast in the two sides’ league positions it took until the 75th minute for the hosts to secure maximum points versus the strugglers, with Tobias Lauritsen scoring his 11 league goal of the term.
After finishing sixth in the Dutch top flight last campaign, the Rotterdam-based club are on course for successive top-eight placements as they chase down a spot in the Europa Conference League, but there is still plenty of work to be done by Jeroen Rijsdijk‘s men before the season’s end.
Sparta currently occupy eighth position in the Eredivisie standings, just the single point ahead of ninth-placed Go Ahead Eagles heading into the final three matches of the regular season.
Unlike many of their Eredivisie counterparts, Sparta Rotterdam have actually fared better on their travels this season, with seven of their 12 wins in the division coming away from Sparta-Stadion, although the collection of three points at Philips Stadion on Sunday remains an enormous task.
PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:
Sparta Rotterdam Eredivisie form:
Team News
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PSV are without the services of USA international Sergino Dest, with the Barcelona loanee suffering a knee injury that is set to keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season.
The hosts will be unable to call upon the talents of Isaac Babadi, who also picked up a campaign-ending knee issue last month whilst in Eredivisie action.
After demolishing Heerenveen last time out, Bosz is unlikely to make wholesale alterations to his XI, meaning that the likes of Luuk de Jong and Johan Bakayoko will continue in attack.
Sparta Rotterdam are set to be without the attacking presence of Joshua Kitolano this weekend, with the Norwegian recovering from an injury picked up in early March.
The visitors will also be without second-choice left-back Django Warmerdam, so Djevencio van der Kust is a certainty to start on the left side of Sparta’s backline.
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Teze, Silva, Boscagli, Junior; Schouten, Veerman; Bakayoko, Til, Tillman; De Jong
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Bakari, Vriends, Eeredhuijzen, Van der Kust; Metinho, De Guzman, Mito, Clement, Saito; Lauritsen
We say: PSV Eindhoven 3-0 Sparta Rotterdam
PSV have been nearly flawless at Philips Stadion this season, and we cannot formulate a convincing argument of why that would change on Sunday afternoon versus Sparta Rotterdam.
Boeren know that a point will be enough to clinch their first Eredivisie crown in six years, but we reckon that Bosz’s men will go the extra mile to secure a comfortable win here.
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