The summer internship in Sint-Michielsgestel is over. Time to put all the hard work into practice. On Saturday afternoon a clash of the Low Country Champions will follow.
After the won match against AEK Athens and an intensive internship, our boys look PSV in the eye on Saturday afternoon. At the practice complex of the Dutch national champion, a 105-minute match will be played behind closed doors (one half of 45' and one half of 60'). The match, however, can be followed live via HLN+.
The opponent
PSV became champions of the Netherlands last season. They equaled their own record by winning all of their first 17 matches in the Eredivisie. The Eindhoven natives would eventually finish with 91 points, 7 more than first pursuer Feyenoord, and a whopping 111 goals scored.
It was the 25th Dutch championship for PSV (first title since 2018). The club also captured 11 KNVB cups (last time in 2023). Finally, the club also won 2 European cups: the one for national champions in 1988 and the UEFA Cup in 1978.
Since last summer, 60-year-old Dutchman Peter Bosz has been coach at PSV. Before that, he was a coach at Olympique Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, among others.
PSV had 3 players active at the 2024 European Championship: Dutch midfielders Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman and Belgian striker Johan Bakayoko. With American midfielder Malik Tillman and striker Ricardo Pepi, it also had 2 players at the Copa América.
PSV already played one practice match in its preparation. It went down 0-3 against RSC Anderlecht. The North Brabant club still has some time: on Aug. 3 there is the Super Cup against Feyenoord, a week later the Eredivisie starts at home against RKC Waalwijk.
History
It is the 10th time both clubs have played friendly against each other. The last encounter was in the winter of 2020. PSV and Club met in Qatar's Doha during the winter training camp. Club won 1-2 through goals by Jelle Vossen and Eduard Sobol, Ritsu Doan saved the honor for PSV. Cody Gakpo and Denzel Dumfries, active the previous month at the European Championship with the Netherlands, then competed against Club.
A year before that, PSV drew the longest against FCB in Qatar: Joël Pirou and Gastón Pereiro scored for the Lamp Club, Hans Vanaken hit the mark for Club.
Both teams have never played an official game against each other. Possibly it could happen this season in the revamped UEFA Champions League "League stage" in which both teams will play 8 games. There is a 23% that both teams will be drawn against each other. On Thursday, Aug. 29, both teams will know where they stand, as that is when the draw will take place. The League Stage itself begins the week of Sept. 17.
Old acquaintances
It will be a happy reunion with Noa Lang on Saturday. Although it will probably not be on the field, as the 25-year-old striker is still suffering from an injury.
In history, there were other players who played for both clubs: Erik Addo (Gha), Kenneth Brylle (Den), Marc Degryse, Johan Devrindt, René Eijkelkamp (Ned), Ruud Geels (Ned), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Isl), Yves Lenaerts, Maxime Lestienne, Timmy Simons and Wietze Veenstra (Ned).
In addition, many compatriots also played for PSV. The most famous ones: Thorgan Hazard, Yorbe Vertessen, Timothy Derijck, Dries Mertens, Gilles De Bilde, Luc Nilis, Tom Van Mol and Eric Gerets.