In a highly-anticipated clash, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven will battle it out at De Kuip for a place in the quarter-final of the KNVB Beker.
Feyenoord narrowly defeated Utrecht in the previous round, while PSV Eindhoven comfortably overcame Twente.
Match Preview:
Feyenoord secured their spot in the last 16 of the KNVB-Beker with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Utrecht in Rotterdam on December 20.
Arne Slot’s side took an early two-goal lead through strikes from Calvin Stengs and Igor Paixao, but Taylor Booth pulled one back for Utrecht just before halftime.
Since then, Feyenoord has performed well in the Eredivisie, collecting four points from their last two league games and currently sitting second in the table.
However, they will need to tighten up their defense, having failed to keep a clean sheet in seven consecutive home matches leading up to this fixture.
On the other hand, PSV Eindhoven dominated Twente in their previous match, securing a comfortable 3-1 victory at the Philips Stadion.
Yorbe Vertessen, Luuk de Jong, and Johan Bakayoko were on target for Peter Bosz’s team, while Manfred Ugalde scored a consolation goal for Twente.
Despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Utrecht in their last league outing, PSV Eindhoven remains at the top of the standings with a 10-point lead.
They have also been impressive on the road, remaining unbeaten in their last nine away games.
Team News:
PSV’s Ismael Saibari will be unavailable for this match as he represents Morocco in the AFCON tournament. Armel Bella-Kotchap is also sidelined with a shoulder injury.
However, Joey Veerman is nearing a return from a muscle problem and could feature for Feyenoord. Luuk de Jong, who has scored eight goals in his last five matches, will be a key player to watch.
For Feyenoord, Yankuba Minteh and Ramiz Zerrouki are away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Gambia and Algeria respectively.
Ayase Ueda and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are on international duty at the ongoing Asian Cup.
Possible Lineups:
Feyenoord: (4-3-3)
Bijlow;
Hartman, Hancko, Trauner, Geertruida;
Timber, Stengs, Wieffer;
Paixao, Gimenez, Dilrosun
PSV Eindhoven: (4-3-3)
Drommel;
Dest, Boscagli, Ramalho, Teze;
Til, Schouten, Tillman;
Vertessen, De Jong, Bakayoko
Prediction: Feyenoord 3-2 PSV Eindhoven
Expect an exhilarating clash between two attacking-minded teams, with chances at both ends. Our prediction is a thrilling Feyenoord 3-2 victory over PSV Eindhoven.