Coach Phillip Cocu knows what it is to beat Sparta in the KNVB Cup tournament. After all, in 1996 these two teams faced each other in the final at De Kuip. The current PSV coach scored the first goal and PSV won 5-2, making the seventh KNVB Cup in PSV history.
An even match
If we look at the encounters between the teams, they are very close. Sparta and PSV met eight times in the cup. Three times PSV won, three times Sparta won. The other two meetings ended in a draw after ninety minutes.
Not won since 2003
Sparta has had bad experiences with cup matches against Eredivisie clubs. The last time the Spangenaren beat an Eredivisie club in the cup tournament was in 2003, against the now bankrupt RBC Roosendaal. Since then, ten games were lost and three ended in penalties, which counts as a draw. However, Sparta is unbeaten in its last four home matches in the cup. Three times they won at Het Kasteel, once the match ended in a draw. PSV, on the other hand, won eight of the last nine cup matches on foreign soil.
Former Spartans
The last time PSV faced Sparta in the cup was in 2010. PSV won 3-0 in Eindhoven at the time through a goal by Stef Nijland and two by Danny Koevermans, who had a past with Sparta. That seems to be a favorable fact, as a former Spartan is also in the selection on the Eindhoven side this time: Jetro Willems made his debut for the Rotterdammers before leaving for PSV in 2011.