Preview: Fortuna Sittard vs. PSV Eindhoven - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by 10 places in the Eredivisie table, Fortuna Sittard host table-topping PSV Eindhoven at Fortuna Sittard Stadion in Saturday’s gameweek 19 contest.

Fortuna have not secured a win in this fixture since May 1999, and that 27-year wait may go on given the Eindhoven giants’ 12-match winning run in the top flight.

Match preview

When Fortuna defeated PSV in 1999, little did fans of the club know that the success would be the club’s last one for several decades.

That 6-4 victory followed a 3-1 cup win over the Eindhoven giants, but they have not secured another one since, with none of the 21 meetings going their way.

Only three of those fixtures have ended in a draw, with Fortuna suffering defeat in 18 clashes, a dismal run against the Dutch giants.

With the last three matchups ending in defeat, Danny Buijs’s team face an uphill challenge of snapping the team’s ongoing losing run in this fixture.

FSC’s league form heading into Saturday does little to add to optimism that this weekend could be different, with the 11th-placed team winning just one of their last five in the league.

Still, Buijs’s team always have a fighting chance against any team at Fortuna Sittard Stadion, where they have accrued 17 of their 22 points this season.

Adding to that tally against PSV presents an uphill challenge for the hosts, considering that the Eindhoven giants have been almost unbeatable domestically this season.

Peter Bosz’s team have dropped points in just two league games this season — a 2-0 loss to Telstar and a 2-2 draw against Ajax.

The defeat to the promoted Telstar in late August was soon followed by playing out an exciting De Topper draw in September; that was the last time points were dropped by the Peasants, who have claimed 12 consecutive league wins.

Throw in two KNVB Beker wins, and their domestic winning run stands at 14 ahead of this weekend’s trip to a ground where they have not lost since May 1999, securing seven wins in nine visits.

Another triumph for the Eindhoven giants could increase their 13-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie standings, with second-placed Feyenoord winless in three and unlikely to catch the runaway leaders in the second half of the season.

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Fortuna Sittard form (all competitions):

PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

Team News

Justin Hubner is suspended for the hosts for accumulating yellow cards, while Daley Sinkgraven and Ramazan Bayram are both missing due to knee injuries.

Kaj Sierhuis and Mohamed Ihattaren are the club’s leading goalscorers, with the pair contributing nine of FSC’s 27 league goals this term.

While Sierhuis has scored three goals in home games, he is outdone by Ihattaren, whose four league goals have all come in Sittard.

PSV, meanwhile, are without Ismael Saibari and Anass Salah-Eddine due to Africa Cup of Nations duty with Morocco, who are one win away from only their second title.

Alassane Plea (knee), Nick Olij (groin), Myron Boadu (muscle), Ricardo Pepi (arm fracture) and Ruben van Bommel (knee) are all on the sidelines.

Only Sparta Rotterdam’s Tobias Lauritsen and Feyenoord’s Ayase Ueda have scored more match-winning goals than Guus Til, and the attacking midfielder aims to add to his 11 goals.

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Branderhorst; Marquez, Van Ottele, Adewoye; Limnios, Pinto, Kasanwirjo, Lonwijk, Peterson; Ihattaren; Sierhuis

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Sidillia, Flamingo, Obispo, Dest; Wanner, Veerman; Man, Til, Perisic; Bajraktarevic