Eredivisie giants and current title contenders Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven will clash at De Kuip on Sunday to decide which team will end the round at the top of the table.
As the only undefeated team left in the Eredivisie, Feyenoord have a great chance of breaking away from the rest of the league if they beat PSV. They are the current leaders with 25 points and winning will put them six ahead. The team’s only mistakes this season have been in international matches when they lost to Braga and Aston Villa. And on the domestic stage, Feyenoord won eight out of nine matches, with the one exception being the 3-3 draw away at AZ Alkmaar.
PSV Eindhoven have been just as impressive and the only thing that separates them from Feyenoord is the surprising 2-0 loss to Telstar at the start of the campaign. But since then, the Peasants have been even more impressive in their performances, especially with the recent 6-2 win over Serie A champions Napoli. PSV will be bursting with confidence after that showing and will be eager to also beat Feyenoord again.
How the bookies view it: They couldn't separate the two teams
You won't find a more evenly matched clash this weekend, with bookmakers reflecting the teams' similar chances in their odds. Feyenoord have a slight advantage, but some bookmakers have set the odds completely equal. On most platforms, you can pick the hosts at 29/20, while PSV are available at 8/5. If you think the draw is more likely, you can pick it at 14/5.
Recent head-to-head: PSV won all three last year
While all recent H2Hs were incredible, Feyenoord have not had many reasons to celebrate. They only beat PSV twice in the last 10 meetings and one of them was not a regular season game. Meanwhile, the Peasants won six of the last 10 H2Hs, including all three last season, and the goal difference across the three was 8:2.
Players to watch: PSV's defence can't stop Ueda
With 27 and 25 goals scored across nine rounds, PSV and Feyenoord are the top scoring sides in the league, and therefore, we have several players in great form to choose from. But we can’t not pick Ayase Ueda after his 11 goals since the start of the season, right?
And especially after midweek’s match with Panathinaikos, he will be hungry for goals. He missed a few good chances against the Greeks and was the lowest-rated player in the squad at FT, so what better time to shine than a derby for the top of the table.
Probable line-ups
Feyenoord: Wellenreuther, Read, Ahmedhodzic, Smal, Bos, Hwang, Stein, Valente, Moussa, Ueda, Sliti
PSV Eindhoven: Kovar, Dest, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Salah-Eddine, Junior, Saibari, Veerman, Man, Til, Perisic
Anything else catch the eye?
We’ve seen plenty of similar clashes end at 0-0 since both sides can’t afford to lose, but the last such result between Feyenoord and PSV was in 2010. These teams normally produce thrillers and we expect more fireworks on Sunday.
Seven of the last 10 H2Hs featured more than three goals, while six saw goals from both sides. With PSV averaging 3.0 goals scored and Feyenoord 2.77 per match, we can’t not bet on both teams to score.
Yellow cards are also an option, as the stakes are extremely high and both sides can’t afford to hold anything back. We are against the main line of Over 5.5 cards, but Betano does have a valid offer for both teams to get booked 2+ times at 3/5.
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