Preview: PSV Eindhoven vs. Heracles - prediction, team news, lineups

Now just two points off the summit of the Eredivisie table, PSV Eindhoven will look to extend their winning run when they host Heracles on Sunday.

Roger Schmidt's side have now won their last three league outings, while their visitors have earned two crucial victories of their own recently.

Match preview

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PSV Eindhoven enjoyed an eye-catching first half to the Eredivisie campaign, jostling with defending champions Ajax for top spot as they earned 45 points from their opening 19 games.

Their title hopes took a major hit early in the new year, though, as they first fell to a 2-1 defeat in a crucial meeting with the Amsterdam side before losing to AZ Alkmaar by the same scoreline in the following outing.

Roger Schmidt's men have since bounced back in impressive fashion, progressing in the KNVB-Beker and the UEFA Europa Conference League with victories and winning three straight Eredivisie matches, firstly defeating Vitesse and Heerenveen.

Most recently, the Boeren picked up a hard-fought 2-1 away win over Sparta Rotterdam, as Mauro Junior and Ritsu Doan netted goals to overturn a first-half deficit, before progressing to the final of the domestic cup with a victory over Go Ahead Eagles by the same scoreline.

As a result of their impressive rebound, and a surprise defeat for Ajax last time out, Schmidt's side have now climbed back within two points of the top spot, and they will be desperate to add another notch to their wins column to further boost their title claim this season.

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They welcome a Heracles side with renewed confidence, as the visitors have won two of their last three league games.

With just 20 points from their opening 21 games, the Heraclieden sat in an unenviable position in the battle for survival, but they have vastly improved their standing in recent weeks, firstly beating Utrecht 1-0 thanks to Kaj Sierhuis's late goal.

After a narrow defeat to AZ Alkmaar, Frank Wormuth's side bounced back instantly last time out, as Luca de la Torre and Sinan Bakis got on the scoresheet in a 2-0 home win over basement side PEC Zwolle.

Thanks to their impressive turnaround, the Heraclieden have now climbed to 11th spot with a seven-point lead over the bottom three, and, knowing their work is not yet done, they will hope to add another victory to further increase their cushion and continue to rise up the table.

Team News

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PSV Eindhoven are without Andre Ramalho and Maximiliano Romero due to injuries, while midfielder Marco van Ginkel is also unlikely to make the cut after an issue of his own.

Schmidt will not deviate too far from the side he has fielded for the recent victories, with Mario Gotze and Eran Zahavi playing key roles in the attack.

They will be flanked by the exciting duo of Cody Gakpo and Ritsu Doan, with the former particularly shining this campaign, registering seven goals and 12 assists in 18 Eredivisie appearances.

Heracles, meanwhile, have an unenviable injury list to deal with, as Kaj Sierhuis, Ismail Azzaoui, Elias Oubella and Melih Ibrahimoglu are all set to be ruled out.

Rai Vloet will also continue to miss out due to a suspension, and Wormuth may be tempted to deploy the same starting XI that picked up a 2-0 victory last time out.

Sinan Bakis will lead the line with renewed confidence after netting his third league goal of the season in that game.

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Drommel; Teze, Boscagli, Obispo, Junior; Gutierrez, Sangare; Doan, Gotze, Gakpo; Zahavi

Heracles possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Fadiga, Rente, Knoester, Quagliata; Kiomourtzoglou, De La Torre; Laursen, Ouahim, Basacikoglu; Bakis

We say: PSV Eindhoven 2-0 Heracles

Heracles have certainly looked vastly improved recently, but we see Sunday being a step too far.

The hosts have bounced back impressively from their recent setback, and, with their sights set on top spot, they should have enough to earn another three-point haul.

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