takes place Sunday as league leaders PSV
Eindhoven host second-place Ajax in Eredivisie action. The Dutch giants
clash for the second time this season with just 11 matches remaining.
Currently on 63 points, .
South Korea’s Lee Young-pyo will have his hands full dealing with
Ajax’s big Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has led the team’s
attack over the past few weeks as they struggle with injuries up front.
Ibrahimovic scored two goals last week against Excelsior as Ajax were
fortunate to escape with a 2-1 win. The toll of playing in the UEFA
Champions League may finally be showing as the Amsterdammers seem stretched
to their limit. Still, Ajax picked up their game to grab a 1-1 draw away
against AS Roma to reach the tournament's quarterfinals.
PSV still have some fireworks of their own and will be glad to see the
return of the Eredivisie's top scorer Mateja Kezman. The striker from
Serbia-Montenegro has been on a torrid pace with 23 goals in 23 games and
should be well rested after a sitting out a one-match ban last week.
Park Ji-sung is likely to continue his role in providing a late boost for
the attack, coming on as a second-half substitute. In their previous meeting
Nov. 17, PSV dealt Ajax a stinging 4-2 defeat on home turf. Third-place
Feyenoord will be looking to exact some revenge Saturday as they host
11th-place SC Heerenveen, who handed them one of their four defeats this
season, a 3-1 shocker on Dec. 7.
Song Chong-gug will be sitting out his second straight match after a
previous injury to his ankle flared up and will require an extended period
on the sidelines.
Kim Nam-il is hoping for his first victory with Excelsior as the
Rotterdam-based side take on cellar-dwellers FC Zwolle Friday night. Both
teams have been horrible of late and Excelsior are desperate for a win after
losing six straight league matches, including three with Kim.
Excelsior are currently third-from-bottom with a paltry 19 points and are
in the relegation-playoff position. A win could gain Excelsior a brief
respite but a loss would lift Zwolle above them. When the teams met way back
on Aug. 24 they battled to a 1-1 draw.
