PSV Eindhoven will be aiming to continue their incredible run of form in the Eredivisie this weekend when they travel to the Abe Lenstra Stadion to face Heerenveen on Saturday.
The hosts are sat in mid-table with 18 points earned after 15 league games, while the visitors are leading the league standings, now on 42 points over the same period.
Match preview
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With each passing gameweek, PSV are looking increasingly likely to run away with the Eredivisie title again this season, now already seven points ahead of the chasing pack led by Utrecht.
The Boeren have won 14 of their 15 league games this term, with the only blemish on their otherwise flawless league record being a 3-2 defeat on the road to Ajax back at the start of November.
However, undoubtedly, the most impressive part of Peter Bosz's side's season to date has been their rampant attack, which has already smashed in a staggering 56 goals - 21 more than the next-highest-scoring team in the division, Feyenoord.
The visitors hit six goals past Twente's Przemyslaw Tyton last weekend, taking their tally to 16 in just their last three league games, which is more than the likes of PEC Zwolle (15), RKC Waalwijk (15), Groningen (14) and Almere City (7), have scored all season.
The only real disappointment about PSV this term has been their inability to emulate their domestic league form in the Champions League, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brest in midweek, which leaves them teetering on the brink of playoff elimination heading into the final two weeks of the League Phase.
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For Heerenveen, PSV's free-flowing attack of late certainly does not spell good news for them, given that they were handed an 8-0 humiliation at this venue when these sides met in April last season.
That result marked De Superfriezen's 12th consecutive league match without victory against the champions dating back to September 2017, a period during which they scored 14 goals but conceded 31.
Robin van Persie's side have been in decent shape leading up to this fixture, though, now gunning a third straight match without defeat following a 1-1 draw at home to RKC before a 2-1 victory over Willem II on the road last weekend.
Notably, in complete contrast to their away record of seven defeats in eight games, the hosts have been very good at home this season, still unbeaten after seven matches with four wins and three draws.
Team News
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Polish centre-back Pawel Bochniewicz sustained a serious knee injury in Heerenveen's 1-1 draw against RKC Waalwijk at the end of November and he has been ruled out until the end of January.
Mats Kohlert has now missed the last four matches with an unspecified injury and Jacob Trenskow has sat out three with a minor knock. Both players are listed as doubts for this match.
Owing to their incredible attacking output, PSV currently have four players in the top-10 leading goal-scorer standings after the first 15 Eredivisie matches, with Ricardo Pepi on 10, one behind current leader Sem Steijn.
Guus Til, Luuk de Jong and Malik Tillman are tied on six goals apiece, while Moroccan international Ismael Saibari is on five, four of which have been scored in his last two matches.
The only known exclusions for the visitors this weekend are long-term absentee Sergino Dest (knee), along with Couhaib Driouech (ankle) and Adamo Nagalo (shoulder), both of whom are only expected to return in the New Year.
Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Van der Hart; Hall, Kersten, Hopland, Braude; Van Ee, Brouwers; Sebaoui, Smans, Jahanbakhsh; Rallis
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Ledezma, Flamingo, Boscagli, Dams; Tillman, Junior, Saibari; Bakayoko, Pepi, Lang
We say: Heerenveen 1-4 PSV Eindhoven
While Heerenveen are one of only four teams in the top flight yet to taste defeat at home, PSV have been making scoring goals look ridiculously easy this season, and we feel the visitors will get another big win in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
