Friday night FC Volendam and Vitesse finally kick off the 2023-2024 Eredivisie season. A day later, PSV takes on FC Utrecht at home, against whom it maintains a remarkably good balance. During that game, captain Luuk de Jong could reach a special milestone.
PSV and FC Utrecht start the Eredivisie season against each other for the sixth time. Five times PSV drew the longest. The last time the first match of the season was lost was in 2012-2013, when the main squad went down 3-2 at RKC Waalwijk. In the ten matches thereafter, eight wins and two draws were recorded.
Forty years ago
Of the 52 times FC Utrecht came to the Philips Stadium in league action, it went home with three points only once. That was in 1980 with a final score of 2-3. PSV drew 46 times, while 5 encounters ended in a draw. In 2016, the Domstadelingen did triumph in the quarterfinals of the TOTO KNVB Beker.
Last season, PSV recorded a great result at Philips Stadium. On Oct. 16, 2022, thanks to two goals by Xavi Simons, Guus Til and Anwar El Ghazi won. However, two points were lost in Utrecht, with Johan Bakayoko and Luuk de Jong both scoring once, but FC Utrecht scoring just as often.
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150th Eredivisie goal
Luuk de Jong already scored 149 times in Eredivisie play. On Saturday, the PSV captain could become the second player to score 150 goals since the turn of the century. Only Klaas-Jan Huntelaar preceded him with 154 goals. De Jong scored 108 of his goals in service to PSV. That puts him only behind Willy van der Kuijlen (308), Coen Dillen (119) and Luc Nilis (110) on the club's top scorer list.
Should De Jong make the 150th on Saturday, he will be the first player since Xavi Simons to score in seven consecutive league games at Philips Stadium. Before Xavi, Jefferson Farfan was the last player to achieve that feat. The Peruvian did so in 2007.
