Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven welcome Fortuna Sittard in round nine's action of the competition at the Philips Stadion on Saturday.
The home side are unblemished in the league, making them favourites against an out-of-form Fortuna this weekend.
Match preview
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PSV secured a 4-0 success over Sparta Rotterdam before the international break to extend their winning start to the season.
Eight consecutive wins means last season's runners-up are unmatched atop the league table heading into round nine, as the Peasants seek another triumph to continue their perfect start.
Peter Bosz's men are unbeaten in the last 10 fixtures against Saturday's opponents, underscoring the home side's superiority in this encounter.
With only one goal conceded in four fixtures in Eindhoven, PSV are showing resoluteness at the back, while 12 goals scored demonstrates the team's killer instinct at the other end of the pitch.
Fans of the table-topping side will hope the international break has not slowed their momentum as they seek another victory to continue their impressive league start.
Fortuna are the latest to visit PSV, seeking to end the home team's unblemished start to the campaign and an 11-month undefeated league run at the Philips Stadion.
The away side's form leading up to the two-week interlude diminishes the optimism of that happening, with three consecutive league losses seeing Danny Buijs' team drop to eighth.
Those defeats have been hammer blows too — Fortuna have conceded 10 goals and have netted none in losses to Go Ahead Eagles (3-0), AZ Alkmaar (4-0) and Twente (3-0) before the international break.
Fortunezen's leaky defence has been their undoing in recent gameweeks, and solving that goes a long way to improving the club's ongoing wretched results.
Whether Buijs' troops are capable remains to be seen, as it requires a top performance to secure the team's first away victory of 2023-24.
Team News
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Malik Tillman and Noa Lang are not expected to return from their respective injuries until the end of the month.
Isaac Babadi, Armando Obispo and Mauro Junior are doubtful for PSV's game on Saturday.
Only two players have scored more than Luuk de Jong's seven goals this term, and the centre-forward could add to his tally in round nine.
Mouhamed Belkheir was sent off in Fortuna's loss against Twente before the international break, ruling out the forward this weekend.
That is the away side's only absentee for Saturday's game, with the visitors expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1.
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Teze, Ramalho, Boscagli, Van Aanholt; Saibari, Veerman, Til; Bakayoko, De Jong, Lozano
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Pinto, Guth, Siovas, Dijks; Rosier, Duarte; Noslin, Halilovic, Cordoba; Lazetic
We say: PSV Eindhoven 3-1 Fortuna Sittard
PSV are averaging three goals at the Philips Stadion, and they should secure a comfortable home win against a Fortuna side that have lost their last two away games heavily without scoring.
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