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

Fresh off a midweek defeat in the Champions League, PSV Eindhoven return to Eredivisie action against in-form Heracles on Saturday, aiming to return to winning ways in the 16th gameweek.

Peter Bosz’s team had not suffered any defeat in all competitions since mid-September, only to fall 3-2 to Atletico Madrid, and they return to Philips Stadion this weekend keen to put things right against the 16th-placed visitors.

Match preview

It seemed to be business as usual for PSV on Tuesday when Guus Til put the Eindhoven giants 1-0 up against Atleti after 10 minutes, only for 20 minutes of madness to ultimately cost the Dutch side in the 3-2 defeat.

The Peasants conceded in the 37th, 52nd and 56th minutes, finding themselves trailing their Spanish opponents despite leading at the half-hour mark.

A Ricardo Pepi goal with five minutes of the 90 to play made the closing stages tense, but the hosts could not peg back Diego Simeone’s team.

The result ended PSV’s 14-match unbeaten run (11 wins) across all competitions; however, their league streak could continue on Saturday.

Not since a shock setback against promoted Telstar in late August have the defending champions suffered defeat in the competition, an 11-match undefeated sequence.

Only Ajax have stopped the defending top-flight champions from securing maximum points in the last three months, and the league leaders enter this weekend on a nine-match winning streak with a six-point lead over Feyenoord.

It will be interesting to see how Heracles fare in Eindhoven, considering the Almelo visitors are among the division’s in-form teams at present.

Only this weekend’s hosts (15 points) and NEC (12) have accumulated more points than the 16th-placed side’s 11 across the past five league matches, while their overall unbeaten run stands at six.

The Paupers’ ongoing form can be traced to the decision to dismiss Bas Sibum in late October, with Ernest Faber reaping the benefits of the momentum Heracles gained under interim boss Hendrik Kruzen before his full-time appointment at the end of November.

Having lost nine of their first 10 Eredivisie fixtures, with just one win, the Paupers have now claimed three victories and drawn two of their last five, placing them in the relegation playoff spot for this weekend.

While maximum points at Philips Stadion could see the Almelo-based side climb as high as 12th in the table, that would require achieving something they have not managed in 61 years: to beat PSV in Eindhoven.

Heracles’ last win of any kind in this fixture came in September 2015 in Almelo, and only twice have FCH avoided defeat in the subsequent 18 meetings with the Dutch giants.

That magnifies the uphill challenge ahead of the in-form visitors, who hope to leverage their current form and PSV’s recent European defeat to cause an upset.

PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie form:

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

Heracles Eredivisie form:

Heracles form (all competitions):

Team News

PSV did not appear to suffer injury issues against Atletico on Tuesday, meaning their absentees remain Ruben van Bommel (knee), Alassane Plea (knee) and Myron Boadu.

Guus Til and Ismael Saibari have scored 10 and eight goals respectively, with both netting three match-winning goals this season — only Ayase Ueda (18 goals, five match-winners) has more in the Eredivisie — highlighting the duo’s importance to the PSV attack.

Joey Veerman’s influence should not be understated either, with the midfielder scoring seven and assisting six goals — jointly with Ivan Perisic — underlining his dual threat.

Heracles have players suspended or injured this weekend: Jan Zamburek is banned for one match due to accumulated yellow cards, while Luka Kulenovic (hip), Sava Cestic (ankle), Jeff Reine-Adelaide (knee) and Sem Scheperman (hamstring) are sidelined.

With three-goal forward Kulenovic possibly absent for the Almelo-based side, Jizz Hornkamp must fully shoulder attacking responsibilities to add to his eight league goals.

However, only one of his eight strikes have come away from Almelo, where he has netted seven, pointing to potential disappointment in Eindhoven.

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Dest, Schouten, Gasiorowski, Salah-Eddine; Veerman, Wanner; Man, Til, Saibari; Pepi

Heracles possible starting lineup:

Jansink; Te Wierik, Mirani, Van Hoorenbeeck, Mesik; Limbombe, Hrustic, Bruns, Ould-Chikh; Van Gilst, Hornkamp

We say: PSV Eindhoven 4-2 Heracles

This version of Heracles pack a punch and could trouble PSV in Eindhoven on Saturday, yet it is hard to predict Bosz’s side not outscoring the Almelo outfit in what should be a high-scoring victory this weekend.

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