PSV Eindhoven will be looking to continue their exceptional start to the Eredivisie season when they travel to Het Kasteel to take on Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday afternoon.
As things stand, PSV are top of the table, having won every single game this season, while the visitors are down in sixth place thanks to a solid start to the campaign.
Match preview
Sparta Rotterdam have made a decent start to the season, collecting 11 points from their opening seven games, which means they are comfortably in the top half of the Eredivisie table.
The Castle Lords finished sixth last term, so they are on course to have a similar campaign, having picked up some promising results in the early stages of the season, and they are still undefeated on home soil.
Jeroen Rijsdijk's side managed to hold off reigning champions and local rivals Feyenoord at Het Kasteel back in August, playing out a 2-2 draw, and they picked up their first home victory at the end of September, defeating Vitesse 1-0 in a closely-contested game.
Last time out, however, Sparta Rotterdam were unable to make it two wins on the spin, falling to a late defeat away at Excelsior, with Arthur Zagre and Troy Parrott scoring for the hosts to cancel out Jonathan de Guzman's first goal of the season.
An even more difficult task awaits the Castle Lords on Sunday, coming up against a PSV Eindhoven side that have made a very strong start to the Eredivisie season.
Indeed, PSV have laid down a marker as title contenders this term, having won all seven of their opening seven games, meaning they are two points clear at the top of the league table.
Having scored 23 goals, the Boeren are the second-highest scoring side in the Eredivisie, and they have only conceded two goals, meaning they have the best defensive record.
All the signs indicate that Peter Bosz's side could be capable of winning their first league title since 2017-18, and they should be full of confidence heading into Sunday's game, having won eight and drawn two of their last 10 matches against Sparta Rotterdam.
PSV Eindhoven were in action on Tuesday night, and they managed to extend their unbeaten run to four games in all competitions, holding Sevilla to a 2-2 draw in the Champions League, courtesy of Jordan Teze's 95th-minute equaliser.
Team News
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Sparta Rotterdam are set to be without Koki Saito, who missed the recent trip to Excelsior with a leg injury, meaning Agustin Anello is likely to keep his place at left-wing, despite not picking up a goal or assist in five league games this season.
Sergi Rosanas has not been named in the last three squads due to injury, and the Spaniard is likely to miss out again, while long-term absentee Mike Eerdhuijzen also remains sidelined.
PSV will have to make do without Isaac Babadi, as the 18-year-old has been ruled out of the last three games due to injury, while Armando Obispo and Mauro Junior are not going to be involved due to knee injuries.
Given that his side were in action on Tuesday night, Bosz could refresh his starting lineup, and Hirving Lozano may come back in at right-wing, replacing Johan Bakayoko.
Sparta Rotterdam possible starting lineup:
Olij; Bakari, Vriends, Velthuis, Van Der Kust; De Guzman, Kitolano, Clement, Brym, Anello; Lauritsen
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Teze, Ramalho, Boscagli, Dest; Tillman, Schouten, Veerman; Bakayoko, Lang, De Jong
We say: Sparta Rotterdam 0-2 PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven are unbeaten in their last 11 matches against Sparta Rotterdam, and they have made a very promising start to the campaign, winning their opening seven Eredivisie games.
As such, the visitors should have no problem securing a relatively comfortable victory this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
