What: Dutch Eredivisie
Who: Feyenoord vs PSV Eindhoven
When: Sunday 24th February, 2013, at 11:30 UK Time
Where: De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Youthful Feyenoord Look To Stay in Title Race
Like their opponents, Feyenoord have been playing second fiddle to Dutch football’s traditional heavyweights, Ajax, in recent times. This season the title race is once again very open in the Netherlands and any one of five teams could still lift the crown at the end of the season. Feyenoord, sitting six points behind PSV Eindhoven going into this, know that a victory would be critical and help propel them right back into the thick of the title race. They will be confident too – Feyenoord have not lost at home this season and are 22 games without defeat at De Kuip, dating back to November 2011.
Motivation will not be hard to find in the Feyenoord ranks, having already been beaten by PSV twice this season. And with an almost fully fit squad to choose from, Ronald Koeman’s youthful side are in rude health as they prepare for the visit of their fierce rivals.
If only they hadn’t lost to Zwolle last weekend they would be within touching distance of the league leaders. The defeat to Zwolle highlighted the problems hampering Feyenoord’s title challenge. Their defence is not as strong as their main rivals, whilst their attack also lacks the same potency as that of Ajax or PSV. They are also indebted to Graziano Pelle. The free scoring Italian forward has netted 17 times in the league this season and has taken on the burden of goalscoring activity for the Rotterdam side. They will need him on top form for this.
Dick Advocaat Hoping To Keep Advantage Intact at Top
PSV take on Feyenoord at De Kuip looking to maintain their three-point advantage over champions Ajax and their formidable goalscoring record. Dick Advocaat’s men have scored a whopping 77 goals in the Eredivisie, at a rate of more than three per game. If they keep up their form in front of goal, it is hard to see anyone being able to keep pace with them in the final stretch as the Dutch title race heats up. Particularly impressive is that the goals have been shared relatively equitably, Georginio Wijnaldum, Dries Mertens and Tim Matavz the Eindhoven side’s top scorers with 13, 12 and 10 respectively.
The side’s prowess in front of goal presents PSV with a chance to break their league title drought. The Eindhoven outfit have won seven titles since 2000, but this year represents a chance to lift the Eredivisie crown for the first time since 2008. They travel to Rotterdam without captain Marc van Bommel, whom it will surprise no one to know is suspended for picking up nine yellow cards (and this is already his third suspension of the season).
Recent form
Feyenoord:
Willem II 1-3 Feyenoord (03/02; Eredivisie)
Feyenoord 3-1 AZ Alkmaar (10/02; Eredivisie)
Zwolle 3-2 Feyenoord (17/02; Eredivisie)
PSV Eindhoven:
PSV Eindhoven 7-0 ADO Den Haag (02/02; Eredivisie)
Vitesse 2-2 PSV Eindhoven (09/02; Eredivisie)
PSV Eindhoven 2-1 Utrecht (16/02; Eredivisie)
Key absences
Feyenoord: Terence Kongolo
PSV Eindhoven: Marc van Bommel (suspended); Atiba Hutchinson
Players to watch
Feyenoord – Graziano Pelle: Pelle’s goals have been vital for Feyenoord this season, providing the finishing touch to their best moves and filling the void left by John Guidetti. Last weekend however he netted at the wrong end in the defeat at Zwolle and he will be determined to put that to the back of his mind by scoring at the right end against PSV. Pelle flopped previously in the Netherlands at AZ, but has been in superb form since arriving on loan from Parma, before signing permanently in January. His tactical awareness and physical strength have improved, and he has also benefited from starting regularly.
PSV Eindhoven – Kevin Strootman: PSV’s brilliant young midfielder has been linked with some of Europe’s top clubs and will surely be on his way sooner rather than later. But he will be determined to win the title with Advocaat’s men first. Strootman will be without Van Bommel this weekend to help him out against Feyenoord; however given the youthful nature of the opposition’s midfield the advantage could be with whichever inexperienced trio displays the greater maturity. The smart money would be on Strootman leading PSV to come out on top and his intelligence with the ball and passing range could just be the difference.
Match Prediction
Feyenoord have not really shown up in the big games this season, which could threaten their hopes of extending their remarkable home run. PSV’s Timothy Derijck and Marcelo, their defenders, have been criticised at times in the current campaign for their performances and they could have a tough time trying to keep Pelle quiet.
What could be interesting is to see how a young Feyenoord team cope against Advocaat’s PSV machine. Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi and Jordy Clasie are the most eye-catching of a clutch of young Dutch talents emerging at De Kuip, but this is one of their biggest tests of the season so far. Having already been beaten by PSV twice, how much will they have learned from those encounters? Koeman has flitted between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 this season, using the latter at times in the big matches.
It is hard to see Feyenoord being able to keep out a prolific and powerful PSV side, but their own strengths going forward give them enough to pierce the visitors’ leaky defence. Koeman’s inherent cautiousness in big matches could lead him to try and flood the midfield and prevent Advocaat’s team working up neat triangles in the centre. This one could end up as a score draw. Feyenoord 2-2 PSV Eindhoven.
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