Three days after the away game against NEC, the next league game is already around the corner. Tuesday night PSV travels to Rotterdam for the fifth time this season and this time Excelsior Rotterdam is the opponent. The main squad has been unbeaten in Kralingen for almost two decades.
Earlier this season, the meeting at Philips Stadium ended in a 3-1 victory. A hat-trick by Luuk de Jong gave the formation of Peter Bosz an unbridgeable lead. Last season's away game was won by even wider figures. The 6-1 win for PSV counts as the biggest away win against Tuesday night's opponent. Only one goal was scored by a player still under contract: Joey Veerman. The other goals were scored by Xavi Simons (2x) Ibrahim Sangaré (2x) and Cody Gakpo.
Balance
The A-selection has built a strong balance against Excelsior Rotterdam over the years. A total of 23 editions were played in Rotterdam and there PSV won nineteen times, five encounters ended in a draw and three times there was no result. In these matches an average of over two goals per game was accumulated, while the average number of goals against was under one.
An unbeaten streak of 27 games against Excelsior Rotterdam is currently underway. That series has been shaped by 25 three-pointers and only two draws. The last 10 encounters all resulted in wins for PSV.
Quick recovery
The loss against NEC (3-1) marked an end to the impressive unbeaten run on Dutch soil. Apart from the fact that the A-selection managed to remain unbeaten for 26 playing rounds in one season, it also ran an unbeaten streak totaling 42 games. The last time PSV lost two league games in a row was in 2022. They lost 1-2 to Ajax and AZ at Philips Stadium in January and February of that year.
For Peter Bosz, a double defeat dates back to January of 2015. As head coach of an Eredivisie team, he lost to PSV and sc Heerenveen as coach of Vitesse in two consecutive rounds of play. Another win at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadium would mark the 20th league victory on a Tuesday.
Return
For Jerdy Schouten, the away game in Rotterdam marks a return to the old nest. Indeed, the PSV midfielder played 31 games in the 2018-2019 season in service of the Kralingers, in which he scored once. After four seasons on Italian soil, he returns to Excelsior Rotterdam for the first time.
See all about the match against Excelsior Rotterdam here.
