Wikipedia

For us, Eindhoven, for the rest of the world, PSV. That is to say, Philips Sport Verenigung. Namely Philips Sports Club. A club, that no matter what you call it, has an undeniably long and rich history. It was founded in 1913 by the multinational giant Phillips for the entertainment and sports of its employees based at the Philips Stadion, with a capacity of 35,000 spectators. An arena that has undergone several facelifts and reconstructions over the years before acquiring its current form.

The word Eindhoven comes from the Dutch Eind (end) and Hove (hectares of land). In an untested, free football translation it may mean that the team knows how to limit and control each opponent on the field! An element that makes it perhaps one of the strongest clubs in the country, since there have been some great names who have worn the famous red and white-striped shirt down the years (Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romário, Ronaldo, Phillip Cocu, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Georginio Wijnaldum – among others)

For obvious reasons, the Dutch have the nickname «red and white» (rood-witten). In addition, they have the nickname «villagers» («boeren») from the original agricultural activity of the locals and «lempkes» from the presence of Phillips (the first emblem of the club was an electric lamp).

Trophy Cabinet

Traditionally, PSV is one of the top three clubs in Holland. They have won a lot of titles and trophies mainly on the domestic front, while in the club’s heyday they also reached the pinnacle of Europe.

International

European Cup / UEFA Champions League: 1
Winners: 1987–88

UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League: 1
Winners: 1977–78

National

Eredivisie: 24
Winners: 1928–29, 1934–35, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18

KNVB Cup: 9
Winners: 1949–50, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1995–96, 2004–05, 2011–12

Johan Cruyff Shield: 11
Winners: 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016 (Record)

Mission: Comeback

Eindhoven are keen to forget about last season, since they were out of the running for the league title at a very early stage, while in the other two competitions (Dutch Cup and Europe) they suffered early exits. This season the club is trying to reclaim its lost prestige, regaining her place in the ‘Holy Trinity’ of the Eredivisie (along with Ajax and Feyenoord), bringing a new «boss» to the club last March, the German Roger Schmidt. An experienced coach with a strong personality, who also played a key role in bringing Mario Gotze and Eran Zahavi.

This year ‘s squad, like any self-respecting Dutch team, is made up of fresh talent from its youth academy sprinkled with a clutch of experienced international players.

Backstage Story

It all started when a Dutch journalist described PAOK as an «insignificant/indifferent» opponent in an article. This apparent arrogance provoked reactions from many Greeks living and working in the Netherlands, who through interviews in local media, took it upon themselves to restore some ‘order’ by advertising and promoting both the city of Thessaloniki and PAOK to the club’s fans.

The result was that the journalist was forced to republish the article, stating that the word he used was wrong and apologizing to the Double-headed Eagle fans who live in the city.

Dutch News…

The past few days have not been easy for PSV. The club has been mourning the losses of two people who have been an important part of its history. Harry van Raaij, who chaired the team from 1996 to 2004, and Willem «Pim» Doesburg, a veteran goalkeeper who played for the club for 10 years winning a host of titles in the Dutch league.

Finally, in their previous Eredivisie match, PSV drew (1-1) in Twente. This was a result that irritated captain Denzel Dumfries, who stated that his team threw two points in the trash. PSV is currently in 4th place in the standings, one point behind Feyenoord, two behind surprise second place side Vitesse, and three behind leaders Ajax!

Scouting Report

The draw against Lazaros Lazarou’s FC Twente shows that PAOK’s opponents are not having the best of times on the pitch. The problems connected with Covid-19 have troubled the club a lot recently and have had a damaging effect on the work of Schmidt, the coach.

The German technician has called on his players to up their intensity in attack and be more aggressive in the match against PAOK in a match which can decide a lot about who progresses to the next stage.

Schmidt commented:

«We don’t have everyone available for tomorrow’s game. There are several absences, such as Mario Gotze, who is not ready. We have to win tomorrow and face our problems. It is a like a cup final for us and a completely different game from the one in Greece.

If we win we keep hoping. I analyzed our defeat by PAOK and saw that for 60 minutes we were good, but we did not manage to kill the game and we paid for it.

We lost to Granada and PAOK and we are under pressure. It is a big goal our ours to qualify for the next phase. We must be ready and show improvement if we want to succeed.

The challenge is to cope with this tough series of consecutive games and be ready when the referee blows the whistle. Of course our goal is victory.

My role is to support our players and especially the younger ones, in these difficult times. And to analyze the games and try to make them improve.»

As Schmidt commented, Mario Goetze is sidelined. The German did not play against Twente and is not yet available for Thursday’s (26.11) match.

PSV’s captain Denzel Dumfries is set to return on the right side of defence, while Cody Gakpo and Nick Viergever have recovered from injuries and will be at the disposal of their coach.

Donyell Malen, Yvon Mvogo, and Max Romero are all in good form, as is the 21-year-old Jordan Teze, who recently signed a contract extension up until 2024 and told PSV TV that he is ready for the match against PAOK.

Finally, Mohamed Ihattaren, will not be included in the starting lineup according to reports in the Dutch press.