PSV Eindhoven vs. FC Utrecht: Toivonen and Schut to battle – Dutch Eredivisie preview
It will be an intriguing battle between PSV Eindhoven and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Utrecht-c39237, when the two sides lock horns against each other at Philips Stadion on Saturday, October 15.
The Eindhoven giants boast an impressive record against the visitors and will be looking to dominate on the pitch in this encounter, too.
PSV Eindhoven
The Boeren managed to record a routine 2-0 win against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/NEC-c40018 Nijmegen in their last league encounter at McDOS Goffertstadion on October 2. The Eindhoven outfit controlled the game right from the kick-off and cruised to an easy victory by the end of 90 minutes.
PSV have performed impressively in front of their home crowd so far this season, winning three of their four encounters. Sitting at the second place in the league table, they have an overall record of 8 played, 5 won, 2 drawn and 1 lost.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fred-c14136 Rutten, the Boeren head coach, has urged his side not to take the Utreg lightly and has demanded a strong performance from his men.
“I know Erwin Koeman well. His team will not play naive. They have a pretty decent squad, and we won’t take them lightly”, Rutten was quoted as saying to the Dutch media.
FC Utrecht
The Utreg would be brimming with confidence following their impressive 3-0 win over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/RKC-Waalwijk-c40370 on October 1. The outfit from Utrecht staged an exciting brand of football in front of their home crowd and secured all three points comfortably.
FC Utrecht have failed to make an impact on away venues this season, winning only once in their four encounters. Occupying the ninth spot in the Eredivisie table, they have an overall record of 8 played, 3 won, 3 drawn and 2 lost.
Erwin Koeman, the Utreg manager, believes that his side are gaining momentum as the season progresses. He has now urged his troops to perform their best against the Eindhoven giants to extract something out of the match.
“We are gaining momentum slowly. It will not be an easy outing for us on Saturday. But we are not going there to lose. We must dare to play an aggressive game and create opportunities to enhance our chances of securing a good result”, Koeman said while talking
with the journalists.
Head-to-Head statistics
The Utreg have failed to register a single win against the Boeren in their last five head-to-head encounters. PSV emerged victorious in four games while the remaining fixture ended in a goalless draw.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ola-Toivonen-c28363 – PSV Eindhoven
The Swedish ace would be brimming with confidence following his impressive performance for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Netherlands-c753, which ended the Oranje’s unbeaten run in the qualifiers.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alje-Schut-c5199 – FC Utrecht
The 30-year-old defender has remained the most consistent performer for the Utreg since starting his career at Stadion Galgenwaard in the summer of 1999. The centre-back will have to form a solid partnership at the back with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marcus-Nilsson-c23825 to restrict the
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 attack pack from finding the back of the net.
Prediction
Although FC Utrecht cruised to an easy win in their last league encounter, they are not expected to give Rutten’s men much of a hassle at Philips Stadion. It will be an easy 4-1 win for the Eindhoven giants.
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