The highlight of the 20th round in the 2023-24 Eredivisie season features fierce rivals Ajax and PSV Eindhoven facing off in the latest version of De Topper at the Johan Cruyff ArenA on Saturday.
Ajax enters this match with four consecutive wins, whereas PSV has suffered only one defeat in their last 13 games before this significant clash.
Match preview
PSV Eindhoven ended a two-match streak without a win with a straightforward 2-0 win against Almere City at the Philips Stadion last Saturday.
Peter Bosz’s team scored just before halftime through Luuk de Jong, who then increased their lead shortly after the hour with a penalty.
As a result, De Rood-witten have widened their lead to an impressive 12 points over Feyenoord, who is in second place.
They now face a team that has lost the last six times they have met in all competitions.
After their recent away unbeaten streak of nine games ended, PSV aims to avoid back-to-back away losses for the first time in nearly two years.
Ajax kept up their good form with a 4-2 win over Heracles Almelo last Saturday evening at Erve Asito.
John van ‘t Schip’s squad initially fell behind but quickly took control with two goals from Brian Brobbey and one from Steven Berghuis, before Kristian Hlynsson secured the victory, making Mario Engels’s goal irrelevant.
With 34 points from 19 league games, Ajax is currently fourth, just one point shy of AZ Alkmaar and the last guaranteed European spot.
Having scored 16 goals in their last five home games, Ajax hopes to deliver another strong offensive performance for their fans.
Ajax Eredivisie form:
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Ajax form (all competitions):
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PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:
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PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):
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Team News
PSV Eindhoven will miss Joey Veerman and Armel Bella-Kotchap due to muscle and shoulder injuries, respectively.
After scoring twice against Almere City, Luuk de Jong has contributed to 24 goals this season, leading the Eredivisie.
Ajax will be without Gaston Avila and Josip Sutalo because of knee injuries, and Sivert Mannsverk is also sidelined with a leg injury.
Ajax will also miss Mika Godts and Chuba Akpom, though the latter is nearing a comeback.
Keep an eye on 22-year-old Brian Brobbey, who has scored in his last six games.
Ajax possible starting lineup:
Ramaj;
Martha, Hato, Rensch, Gooijer;
Taylor, Tahirovic;
Forbs, Hlynsson, Berghuis;
Brobbey
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez;
Teze, Ramalho, Boscagli, Dest;
Til, Schouten, Lang;
Lozano, De Jong, Bakayoko
Prediction: Ajax 1-2 PSV Eindhoven
Considering the attacking prowess both teams possess, we expect both to score. However, we predict PSV will narrowly defeat Ajax and take all three points.