After two busy days, the important home game against AZ is scheduled for PSV on Saturday night. Head coach Roger Schmidt is determined to keep the three points at home with his team. 'The focus is completely on the game against AZ,' the coach says in his preview.
Main topic
At the traditional preview press conference, the main topic was Schmidt's decision not to renew his contract at PSV. "By creating clarity, everyone at the club knows where we stand. We can now look ahead to this important match with a fresh feeling and prepare in the best possible way," he explained on request the day after his decision. A further reaction from Schmidt on his departure can be read here.
Crucial
Later, the match also came up. Earlier this season, AZ won 3-0. The Head Coach is happy to see the stadium partially filled with supporters on Saturday and hopes to follow up the aforementioned win. "We always strive for the highest achievable. It is important to bring the season to an end in the best possible way. The match against AZ is a crucial part in that process. The public also plays an important role in this. It is great that they can support us in the stadium again tomorrow. We always prefer to play in front of full stadiums. The support from the stands benefits the team," said the German.
Return
Ibrahim Sangaré, Noni Madueke and Carlos Vinícius returned to the training field this week. Ritsu Doan and Érick Gutiérrez also reported back to the team after international commitments. "Ibrahim joined on Wednesday and will be back in the matchday squad. We will see how long he can play after the final training session. With Noni and Carlos we are taking less risk. They will not join the squad tomorrow. We are hopeful that they might be able to make minutes next week. Érick will also be back in the locker room, but has not trained with the group. So it will be doubtful if he will be in action."
Hopeful
Schmidt sees the list of absentees at PSV slowly shrinking. "Ryan Thomas, Maxi Romero and André Ramalho are not deployable tomorrow. Ryan and Maxi still need a few more weeks to join the group. André is on track in his rehabilitation, but his recovery process, as we know, will take some time. There will be a solid squad tomorrow ready to show its best side. We played a good game against AZ earlier this season. We want to repeat that now, hopefully with the same result," the coach concluded hopefully.