PSV cannot have Carlos Vinícius and Davy Pröpper at their disposal against AZ. Head coach Roger Schmidt told the press conference Friday afternoon that the Brazilian striker does not yet have a work permit and therefore cannot play. Pröpper is still suffering too much from an injury. 'We will arm ourselves,' Schmidt said.
Doubts about Gakpo and Sangaré
Whether PSV will do so with Cody Gakpo and Ibrahim Sangaré is not yet certain. Both standouts in recent weeks have suffered minor injuries from the duels they played with their country. Gakpo dropped out of Orange earlier this week and trained at PSV Campus De Herdgang guided by pain. Schmidt: "We have a replacement ready for every position. To give an example, in Ibrahim's spot Olivier Boscagli, Érick Gutiérrez and Ryan Thomas can play. We will see what the best option is, should Ibrahim actually not be fit."
AZ
PSV starts playoff round four of the Eredivisie as the leader. Schmidt's team is the only one still without a points loss, but with AZ also awaits a first big game of the season. In league play, PSV failed to win 16 consecutive games with one of the bigger teams in the Eredivisie. "I don't think it makes a lot of sense to make a comparison with previous seasons," said Schmidt, who was pointed to the departure of some key players at AZ. "All teams change and that doesn't necessarily make a match easy compared to previous years. It actually gives new players a chance to step out of their shadow. In my opinion, AZ is still a very strong team and we are looking forward to competing with them tomorrow."