🏏 Sat, 8 Aug 2026 20:00 CEST
PSV Eindhoven
vs
Fortuna Sittard
4-2-3-1 vs 5-3-2
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- The headline storyline of the opening weekend is Ihattaren's return to the club that made him. Fortuna's No. 52 was hailed as a prodigy in PSV's academy, took the Eredivisie by storm as a teenager and earned a move to Juventus, before spells at Ajax, Sampdoria and RKC Waalwijk. Now 24, the left-footed attacking midfielder gets to show his passing and shooting range on his old ground.
- PSV lead the line with 23-year-old Ricardo Pepi, a striker with 13 goals in 35 caps for the United States who once became the youngest hat-trick scorer in MLS history at FC Dallas. After a difficult stretch at Augsburg he rebuilt himself on loan at Groningen and went on to help PSV to the Eredivisie title. How the 185cm centre-forward finds gaps between Fortuna's back five will shape the game.
- PSV's midfield is stacked with quality. Paul Wanner, 20, is the youngest debutant in Bayern Munich history, a left-footed No. 10 who produced six goals in 41 Bundesliga appearances on loan at Heidenheim and made his Austria debut in March 2026. Alongside him, 28-year-old Guus Til scored a hat-trick against Ajax on his PSV debut, while 190cm left-footer Sven Mijnans supplies through balls and shots from range.
- Ivan Perisic, 37, lines up in PSV's back four. The two-footed veteran has 142 caps and 33 goals for Croatia, scored in the 2018 World Cup final, and has worn the shirts of Inter, Bayern, Tottenham and Dortmund. Inside him are Armando Obispo, a left-footed centre-back comfortable in possession, and 23-year-old Ryan Flamingo, quick and dominant in the air, with 21-year-old academy product Noah Fernandez completing the line.
- Fortuna set up in a 5-4-1 with Oukili anchoring the midfield band. The 25-year-old Moroccan stands 195cm and 88kg and uses his reach to break up play, with 22-year-old academy graduate Brittijn beside him as the distributor. Against PSV's 4-2-3-1, whether the visitors' double bank of five defenders and four midfielders can shut down the space between the lines will define the shape of the match.
- Fortuna field two Indonesia internationals from the start. Ole Romeny, 26, was born in the Netherlands but opted for Indonesia; the 189cm forward scored 11 goals in 33 Eredivisie games at Emmen and has also played for Utrecht and Oxford United. Centre-back Justin Hubner, 22, came through Wolverhampton Wanderers' academy and spent time at Cerezo Osaka in Japan's J1, a CV that resonates with Asian audiences.
- There is a fascinating contrast of veterans. Fortuna captain Ivo Pinto is a 36-year-old right-back schooled at FC Porto who won four Croatian league titles with Dinamo Zagreb and played Premier League football with Norwich City. Together with PSV's 37-year-old Perisic, the two most experienced men on the pitch will have plenty to say about how the tempo of an opening-day fixture is managed.
- The goalkeeping duel is worth watching. PSV's Matej Kovar, 26, is a 196cm Czech who has been on the books at Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen and was voted Czech league goalkeeper of the year, a modern keeper comfortable with the ball at his feet. Fortuna's Brandenhorst, 32, is 192cm and 88kg, strong on crosses and vocal in organising his line. Their jobs tonight should look nothing alike.
- PSV's bench carries serious firepower. Romania international Dennis Man, 27, is a left-footed right winger who moved from FCSB to Parma for a national-record 11 million euros and helped his country top their group at EURO 2024. Alassane Plea, 33, brings experience from Nice, Lyon and Borussia Monchengladbach, while 21-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic converted the decisive penalty against Italy in the World Cup playoff to send Bosnia to the finals.
- Fortuna's game-changer is 23-year-old Michut, once dubbed the 'new Verratti' in Paris Saint-Germain's academy. The left-footed central midfielder has since passed through Sunderland and Adana Demirspor before restarting his career at Fortuna, and he represented France at every level from U16 to U19. If the visitors are pinned back, he is the man to slow the game down and reset the rhythm.