Preview: FC Utrecht vs. PSV Eindhoven - prediction, team news, lineups

Winless against PSV Eindhoven since 2019, FC Utrecht welcome the defending Eredivisie champions to Stadion Galgenwaard on Sunday, aiming to snap their winless start.

Anthony Correia’s men came close to securing their first top-flight win last time out against Sparta Rotterdam before conceding a late leveller, and they now face an uphill challenge against the best side in the division.

Match preview

The disappointment was palpable in gameweek three as Utrecht came close to snapping their winless start to the league campaign against Sparta.

Correia’s men went ahead on three occasions but were pegged back each time by their Rotterdam opponents, who notched a 96th-minute equaliser through Nick Verschuren to snatch a 3-3 draw.

A week on from being denied a first competitive victory since replacing the retired Ron Jans, Correia’s Cupfighters welcome the finest side in the land, facing a far more uphill challenge than last week’s visit to Rotterdam.

De Domstedelingen have not beaten PSV in six years since securing a stunning 3-0 success on home soil in October 2019, with their winless run in this fixture now 12 matches.

That sole statistic highlights the Herculean task presented to this weekend’s hosts, whose only iota of encouragement heading into Sunday’s clash is their tendency to score against their Eindhoven opponents, even if it seldom results in positive outcomes.

Indeed, PSV supporters will feel the same, aware that their side has conceded in 10 of the past 12 meetings between the clubs, even though Boeren have claimed eight wins during their unbeaten streak in this fixture.

Last season’s wins were thrilling games that went the way of the 27-time Eredivisie champions, who secured 2-1 and 4-3 victories in 2025-26, the latter of which saw the heavyweights come from 2-0 down before eventually snatching a 94th-minute winner through Couhaib Driouech.

Much has changed at PSV in the summer, with Ismael Saibari departing for Bayern Munich and Joey Veerman leaving for Borussia Dortmund, meaning Peter Bosz must find solutions to maintain Lampen’s Eredivisie hegemony.

After overcoming a false start in their opening-day 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard, the Eindhoven giants have since claimed 2-1 and 5-1 wins over SBV Excelsior and Groningen respectively, the latter of which was undeniably surprising given Groningen’s winning run before the match.

Perhaps that was the strongest indicator that Bosz’s side intend to retain their stranglehold in the hopes of winning a fourth straight Eredivisie crown, with Ivan Perisic and Ruben van Bommel the undoubted protagonists in the success.

Now, PSV not only travel to Stadion Galgenwaard looking to preserve their undefeated status but potentially end the weekend top of the table if they win and AZ Alkmaar drop points for the first time.

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form:

PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

Team News

Utrecht will assess star forward Artem Stepanov, replaced after 73 minutes against Sparta, Ferdinand Pohl (calf) and Joris van Overeem; however, Victor Jensen (knee), Noah Ohio (knee), Alonzo Engwanda (hamstring injury), Miliano Jonathans (knee) and Oualid Agougil are all sidelined.

Potentially facing PSV without Stepanov could be detrimental, given that only Adrian Blake has scored more than one goal for the Cathedral Citizens after three rounds.

While PSV admittedly also have two players with more than one goal — Perisic and Ricardo Pepi — the joint-top scorers’ overall superiority is still guaranteed.

On the transfer front, Driouech has joined La Liga side Celta since Bosz’s men’s last match, ruling him out of scoring in consecutive matches against Utrecht.

However, the Farmers must make do without Alassane Plea and Jerdy Schouten (knee) this weekend and probably for a while longer.

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:

Barkas; Horemans, Didden, Nwankwo; Vesterlund, De Wit, Van den Berg, Zagre; Alarcon, Min, Cathline

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Dest, Flamingo, Obispo, Junior; Til, Sano, Fernandez; Perisic, Pepi, Van Bommel

We say: FC Utrecht 1-3 PSV Eindhoven

Although Utrecht will be desperate to put their defensive collapse against Sparta behind them, overcoming an imperious PSV side on a 12-match unbeaten run in this fixture represents a daunting assignment.

As such, Bosz’s free-scoring defending champions should have far too much attacking quality to slip up at Stadion Galgenwaard.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.