PSV Eindhoven vs. FC Groningen: Mertens and Bacuna to shine – Dutch Eredivisie preview
PSV Eindhoven will battle against FC Groningen at Philips Stadion on Saturday, November 26. The Eindhoven giants have managed to secure all three points in three of their last five league encounters and will be looking to keep their good record intact when
they host the Green-White-Army.
PSV Eindhoven
The Boeren are coming into this match on the back of a morale boosting 3-1 victory over De Graafschap at De Vijverberg Stadion on November 19. The Eindhoven giants staged an exciting brand of football and outplayed the home side in every department on the
field.
PSV are currently sitting second in the league table, six points behind the league leaders http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AZ-c38571 Alkmaar. Although the Eindhoven giants have achieved impressive results at home, their inconsistent performances on their travels have seen them trail the league
leaders. They have an overall record of 13 played, 8 won, 4 drawn and 1 lost.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fred-c14136 Rutten, the Boeren head coach, has revealed that his side will not take their opponents easyily and will look to secure all three points to trim down the lead at the top.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Groningen-c39119
The Green-White-Army would be brimming with confidence following their phenomenal performances in recent weeks. They managed to record a comfortable 2-1 win over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/VVV-Venlo-c40915 at Euroborg Stadion on November 20, secured a lone point away from home against RKC
Waalwijk and hammered http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Feyenoord-c39258 Rotterdam 6-0 at home.
Three good results in a row have put Pride of the North back on track in the Dutch top flight. Occupying the seventh spot, the Groningen outfit trail the Alkmaar outfit by a mammoth 13 points. They have an overall record of 13 played, 6 won, 3 drawn and
4 lost.
Pieter Huistra, the Green-White-Army boss, has urged his troops to play their natural game through which they have acquired tremendous results in the recent fixtures.
However, he admitted that his side will have to give in their 100 percent to achieve a good result against the Boeren.
Head-to-Head statistics
In their last five head-to-head battles, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 have emerged victorious in three fixtures while the remaining two ended in stalemates.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dries-Mertens-c11679 – PSV Eindhoven
The Belgian ace is currently the leading goal-scorer in the Dutch top tier, and he will be keen to add more to his tally against the Groningen outfit. The pint-sized winger has shown that he can score goals and provide useful assists as well. It will certainly
be a tough task for the visitors’ defenders to restrict the in-form winger from hitting the back of the net.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Leandro-Bacuna-c21807 – FC Groningen
The 20-year-old forward has been one of the most important players in the Green-White Army squad this season, scoring six goals in 12 appearances. Although the youngster is not the quickest of attackers, his ability to finish neatly will certainly make the
competition worth viewing.
Prediction
The Groningen outfit will be looking to at least secure a point in this difficult encounter away from home. However, the Eindhoven giants’ recent run of form will be a concern for the Pride of the North.
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