League Leaders Remain Unbeaten in Eredivisie Ahead of De Topper Showdown

AFC Ajax vs PSV Eindhoven - 03/02/2024

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One of the standout fixtures on the Dutch football calendar takes place this weekend, as a resurgent Ajax side host an unbeaten PSV Eindhoven outfit on Saturday evening.

Having won 18 of their 19 matches this season, PSV find themselves 12 points clear at the summit and 21 points ahead of fifth-placed Ajax.

That said, the Amsterdam giants have upped their game following a disastrous start to the campaign, avoiding defeat in each of their previous 11 league outings.

Ajax secured a dominant 4-2 victory over Heracles last weekend, with Brian Brobbey bagging a brace. The 21-year-old has now scored 13 goals in 18 Eredivisie games this season.

Not only have Ajax won each of their last three league matches, but they have also won seven of their previous eight, scoring 25 goals in the process (3.1 goals per game).

By their own high standards, Ajax’s early-season statistics were dismal, as they managed to win just one of their opening eight league encounters.

Since then, however, the Amsterdam giants have taken 29 points from a possible 36, while trends show that Ajax are now the division’s third-highest scorers.

Meanwhile, PSV Eindhoven claimed an easy 2-0 victory over Almere last time out, courtesy of a double from Luuk De Jong, who has netted 17 goals in 19 league outings this term.

PSV have now won 18 of their 19 Eredivisie clashes this season, notching 17 consecutive victories before drawing with Utrecht and returning to winning ways last weekend.

Thanks to a strong end to the previous campaign, PSV’s unbeaten run in the league stands at 35 matches, with a solitary defeat coming in their previous 38 outings.

Not only are PSV the top scorers in the division, but they also boast the best defensive record, having kept a clean sheet in 12 of their 19 encounters (63%).

Head-to-head: PSV Eindhoven thrashed Ajax 5-2 in the reverse fixture back in October, with Hirving Lozano netting a hat-trick on that occasion.

Ajax’s last De Topper victory came back in 2022. Since then, PSV have claimed five wins and one draw against their arch-rivals, scoring 18 goals along the way.

Team news: The hosts will be without injured duo Gaston Avila and Josip Sutalo this weekend, while Mika Godts, Sivert Mannsverk, Mateja Milovanovic and Amourricho van Axel Dongen are doubts.

As for the visitors, Joey Veerman will miss Saturday’s showdown due to a muscle injury, while Armel Bella-Kotchap remains a doubt with a shoulder issue.

When you couple the 21-point gulf between the two sides with PSV’s impressive recent record against Ajax, all the signs point towards an away win here.

Forebet’s algorithm predicts that PSV will score over 2.5 goals on their way to claiming a fourth successive Eredivisie victory over Ajax.

Home team
Away team

Probability %

1X2

Pred

Correct score

Avg. goals

Weather conditions

Coef.

Score

Live
coef.

Nl1

AFC Ajax PSV Eindhoven 03/02/2024 20:00

202754

2

1 - 3

3.45

10°

1.91

3.60 3.75 1.91 no no no

FT

1 - 1(1 - 1)

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