PSV Eindhoven will be bidding to make it 16 successive victories in the Eredivisie when they travel to AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.
While the visitors hold a 10-point lead in first place, AZ are in third in the standings and motivated to respond to their early elimination from Europe.
Match preview
No-one at PSV will be deeming this season to be successful unless they deliver silverware, but that looks more and more likely with each passing week.
Last week's 2-0 victory over Heerenveen extended their winning streak in the Dutch top flight to 15 matches, PSV conceding just six times during that period.
Peter Bosz will have few concerns that his team have scored just five times in their last three outings with fixtures against Feyenoord and Arsenal also being played.
Although Tuesday's meeting with Arsenal was essentially a Champions League dead-rubber with both teams having already qualified for the last 16, PSV would have wanted to show the Premier League giants their capabilities, and they did just that in a 1-1 draw.
PSV have now gone 16 matches unbeaten in all competitions since losing 4-0 to Arsenal in the reverse fixture in England, but Bosz and his team will recognise that their upcoming encounter remains one of the most difficult on their domestic calendar.
That is despite AZ disappointingly bowing out of the Europa Conference league at the group stage as they went down 2-0 against Legia Warsaw in Poland.
After last season's run to the semi-finals, Pascal Jansen suffers a considerable hit to his stock at AZ, but he will hope that it proves to be a blessing in disguise in their effort to finish in the top three.
In all competitions, AZ have won just three of their last 10 games, with the victories in question coming in home fixtures against FC Volendam, Zrinjski Mostar and Almere City.
With just 10 goals being conceded in 15 Eredivisie outings in 2023-24, they will hope to withstand PSV's attacking threat at a ground where they have 19 points from eight games.
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Team News
With first-choice goalkeeper Mathew Ryan sustaining an eye injury last weekend, Rome Owusu-Oduro could be handed a second successive outing between the sticks.
Jens Odgaard may return to the starting lineup, particularly having provided two assists against Almere City in the most recent Eredivisie fixture.
Djordje Mihailovic and Ruben van Bommel will also hope to return in the final third after dropping out versus Legia Warsaw.
Bosz will revert back to a similar PSV XI that started the Heerenveen game after choosing to make changes for the Arsenal fixture.
Sergino Dest, Olivier Boscagli and Luuk de Jong should all return, while Yorbe Vertessen has put himself in contention with a goal against the Gunners.
AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:
Owusu-Oduro; Sugawara, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe; Clasie, Dantas; Odgaard, Mihailovic, Van Bommel; Pavlidis
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Dest, Ramalho, Boscagli, Van Aanholt; Til, Veerman, Saibari; Bakayoko, De Jong, Tillman
We say: AZ Alkmaar 1-3 PSV Eindhoven
Jansen will be eager for his players to record a statement result, one which will help ease any pressure on his shoulders. Nevertheless, we cannot back against a rampant PSV who we feel will thoroughly outclass one of their rivals for the title.
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