PSV vs Ajax

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Never before in the extensive history of one of Dutch football's most renowned matchups have both teams' fates been as dramatically divergent as they are prior to the upcoming clash on Sunday between fierce rivals PSV Eindhoven and Ajax at Philips Stadium.

The hosts have been flawless in their domestic performances this season, leading the Eredivisie with a perfect 100% record. In stark contrast, Ajax has endured their worst run of form in history, inexplicably finding themselves in the relegation zone after seven games leading up to the latest installment of De Topper.

PSV Eindhoven is continuing its pursuit of their first Eredivisie championship in seven years, with Peter Bosz's squad being the sole team in the league to maintain an unblemished record in the first part of the season, securing victories in all nine of their possible games.

Nonetheless, their midweek match ended in a 1-1 draw against Lens, despite taking an early lead in the second half, leaving them at the bottom of their Champions League group with just two points from their first three games.

The team's somewhat less impressive performance at the European level is overshadowed by their domestic successes. The fluid attacking style advocated by Bosz has resulted in PSV Eindhoven scoring three or more goals in their last eight consecutive matches.

Their offensive prowess is undeniable, both at home and away, with 15 goals scored in each scenario, including four of their five home games witnessing three or more goals.

In addition to their offensive strength, their defensive performance is as impressive, conceding only three goals in nine Eredivisie matches this season, with just two of those goals occurring in home games.

On the contrary, Ajax is experiencing a rather dismal season. The club, which has claimed the Eredivisie title 36 times, is currently enduring its worst season start in history, sitting in 17th place on the table with just one point more than the bottom-placed Volendam.

Their unfortunate season continued with another loss in the middle of the week when interim manager Hedwiges Maduro's first match in charge resulted in a 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Europa League.

Throughout this season, the four-time European champions have often played well below their usual standard. In the match against Brighton, they allowed their opponents to record the highest number of passes and possess the ball more than any Ajax opponent in history, leading to Brighton's first-ever continental victory.

Now, Maduro will shift his focus to the Eredivisie, hoping to bring about an improvement after the chaotic and disheartening loss to Utrecht last week, which led to the dismissal of manager Maurice Steijn. In that game, Ajax displayed a rare show of determination by coming back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead with three goals in just 13 minutes. However, they quickly surrendered their newfound advantage, prompting away fans at Utrecht's Stadion Galgenwaard to protest by throwing objects onto the pitch. The referee halted the match and removed the players from the field, only for Utrecht to secure a last-minute 4-3 victory when play resumed. This result added to Ajax's woes and marked the end of Steijn's tenure, making him the manager with the lowest points-per-game ratio in the club's history.

This was Ajax's fourth consecutive league defeat, during which they conceded 13 goals. Additionally, they have now gone six domestic games without a win since their 4-1 victory over Heracles on the opening day of the season, which occurred two-and-a-half months ago.

In all competitions, Ajax has not won a match in nine attempts since their Europa League qualifying victory over Ludogorets on August 24, marking their longest winless streak in nearly 70 years since professional football began in the Netherlands.

PSV will host their arch-rivals Ajax at the Philips Stadion in the upcoming Eredivisie match this Sunday.

These matchups between the two teams are usually intense battles at the top of the league standings, but this season, their fortunes have diverged significantly. PSV boasts a perfect record in the league and currently leads the table, whereas Ajax has only managed one win and finds themselves second from the bottom.

In their recent league fixture after the international break, PSV secured a comfortable 3-1 victory against Fortuna Sittard. They also faced Lens in the UEFA Champions League, resulting in a 1-1 draw, with Johan Bakayoko finding the net in both games.

On the other hand, Ajax displayed a strong performance in their previous league match against Utrecht, making a remarkable comeback to take the lead, courtesy of Kristian Hlynsson's two quick goals and Steven Bergwijn's second-half penalty. However, they couldn't maintain their lead and conceded two late goals, ultimately suffering a 4-3 defeat with the decisive goal occurring in the 90th minute. Their struggles continued in the UEFA Europa League as they suffered a 2-0 away loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.

In their historical encounters, these two teams have met 182 times in all competitions. Ajax has had the upper hand with 81 wins, while PSV has won 69 times, and 32 matches have ended in draws. Nevertheless, PSV has dominated recent meetings, securing five consecutive victories, including a 3-2 win on penalties in the KNVB Cup final in April.

PSV has been impressive at home this season, winning seven of their eight games in all competitions. In contrast, Ajax has only managed one victory in seven away matches across all competitions. PSV remains undefeated at home in the Eredivisie in 2023, with 13 wins out of 15 games. Ajax's start to the season has been their worst ever, trailing the leaders by a significant 22 points. They've endured a nine-game winless streak in all competitions, failing to score in four of those matches.

Hedwiges Maduro, in his first game as Ajax's coach, faced a defeat and is under immense pressure to deliver an improved performance against the in-form PSV.