🏏 Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:00 CEST
Excelsior
vs
PSV Eindhoven
4-3-3 vs 4-3-3
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- The table is upside down going into matchday 2. Excelsior sit top of the 18-team Eredivisie after thrashing Cambuur 4-0 away on the opening weekend, a goal difference of +4 putting them ahead of Go Ahead Eagles on +3. PSV, meanwhile, are 12th on a single point after being held 2-2 at home by Fortuna Sittard, and arrive in Rotterdam needing to claw back ground immediately.
- The shape battle pits Excelsior's 4-3-3 against PSV's 4-2-3-1. The home midfield trio of Daniel van Vianen (23), Georgian I. Yegoian (22, just 168cm) and L. Hartjes (23, 170cm) are all under-24 and built for tight spaces, relying on agility and close control. Numerically it is three against two in central areas, so how PSV's double pivot copes with that overload is the first thing to watch.
- Anchoring that pivot is Netherlands international Joey Veerman (27), the playmaker who arrived via Volendam and SC Heerenveen and featured at EURO 2024. He dictates tempo from deep with a mix of short combinations and raking switches, so the question is whether Excelsior's three-man midfield can close his passing lanes before he settles into a rhythm.
- Alongside him is Paul Wanner, still only 20 after being born in December 2005. He holds the record as Bayern Munich's youngest-ever player, produced 41 Bundesliga appearances and six goals on loan at Heidenheim, and completed a permanent move to PSV in 2025. Naturally an attacking midfielder, he starts a line deeper here, which invites him to turn and carry the ball forward himself. He made his Austria debut in March 2026.
- Ricardo Pepi leads the line for PSV. The 23-year-old USA international has 35 caps and 13 goals, became the youngest hat-trick scorer in MLS history at FC Dallas, and rebuilt his career on loan at Groningen after struggling at Augsburg. He faces an Excelsior centre-back pairing of R. Meissen (24, 190cm and 89kg) and C. Widell (23, 192cm), making his movement across their shoulders a genuine duel of timing versus size.
- C. Widell is worth watching in his own right: a left-footed Swedish centre-back who turned professional early at Helsingborgs IF and captained Sweden at under-16 and under-17 level, with brother Melker now at Swansea City. His comfort on the ball makes him Excelsior's release valve, and whether he can play through PSV's press rather than going long will shape how much of the ball the hosts keep.
- On the left flank PSV field 37-year-old Ivan Perisic, a Croatia great with 142 caps and 33 goals whose finish in the 2018 World Cup final remains iconic. Spells at Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund have given him a level of experience no one in this Excelsior back four can match, and his two-footed delivery plus aerial strength are an awkward test for defenders all aged 24 or under.
- Excelsior's front three features Ilano Timas (23, 183cm, formerly of MVV), 2004-born David Garden and Aymen Sliti, a 19-year-old attacker on Feyenoord's books who is spending 2026/27 at the other Rotterdam club to gather minutes. Having put four past Cambuur, they now run into Armando Obispo and Ryan Flamingo, a PSV pairing of left-footed distribution and pace built for defending in transition.
- The goalkeeping contrast is striking. Matej Kovar is a 196cm Czech international who arrived via Manchester United and Sparta Prague, where he was voted the league's goalkeeper of the season, and is comfortable enough with his feet to play behind a high line. Excelsior's S. van Gassel (29) is a different profile: a long-serving number one at Helmond Sport who returned via NEC, prized for his reactions and close-range shot-stopping.
- PSV's bench carries serious weight. Japanese midfielder Kodai Sano (22), a right-footed central midfielder who made his name after a permanent move from Fagiano Okayama to NEC, combines ball-winning with clean distribution and has U-20 World Cup experience, with brother Kaishu at Mainz. Alongside him sit Dennis Man (27), who helped Romania top their EURO 2024 group, and Esmir Bajraktarevic (21), scorer of the decisive playoff penalty against Italy that sent Bosnia to the World Cup.