Eredivisie Preview: PSV eye five wins in a row

Eredivisie leaders PSV travel to Heracles this weekend looking to make it five successive league victories.

Phillip Cocu’s side are unbeaten in the Dutch top flight since losing 1-0 at Heerenveen at the end of September, which was only their second defeat in 11 games this season.

Cocu’s men will go into Sunday’s game off the back of a UEFA Europa League tie against Panathinaikos in Greece on Thursday night.

However, PSV will still be strong favourites to beat a Heracles side who have lost nine times in the league in 2014-15 and sit second bottom in the Eredivisie with six points.

PSV will already know if they are playing to maintain their four-point advantage at the top of the table or extend it, with second-placed Ajax travelling to Cambuur earlier on Sunday.

Ajax, who were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in midweek following a 2-0 home defeat against Barcelona, are on a seven-game unbeaten run in the league and will be brimming with confidence domestically after hammering Dordrecht 4-0 at the Amsterdam Arena last weekend.

Third-placed Feyenoord, who have won their last five league matches, are also in action on Sunday with an away game at Vitesse Arnhem, who had not lost in six – a run that included hitting six past Dordrecht and ADO Den Haag in successive games – prior to last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Utrecht.

Sunday’s other game sees bottom club Dordrecht host fourth-placed Twente, who trail Feyenoord by just two points.

The weekend’s fixtures get under way on Friday night with a mid-table clash between Excelsior and Utrecht.

The winner of Saturday’s game between PEC Zwolle and Groningen at the IJsseldelta Stadion will move into the top four, at least until Sunday.

In Saturday’s other games, ADO Den Haag host Willem II, Go Ahead Eagles travel to Heerenveen and NAC Breda take on AZ, who have yet to win a league game since John van den Brom took over as coach following Marco van Basten’s decision to step down to assistant because of health problems.