Top 5 this weekend: Chelsea vs United’s midfield battle, Matic’s return, Ajax v/s PSV and more

Ajax and PSV lock horns

One of the most intense rivalries in Dutch football will be reignited this weekend, as PSV Eindhoven travel to the Amsterdam Arena to take on the leaders and defending champions, Ajax Amsterdam. The teams are led by former stars, and both have a whole host of young and talented players, but the similarities end there. PSV currently sit in 7th place in the table, 11 points behind their rivals and leaders Ajax. Despite the fact that likes of Wijnaldum, Bakkali and Depay play there along with a host of other talents, PSV have been unable to do as well as they were expected to, and find themselves well adrift of their rivals.

Ajax, on the other hand, have been very impressive. They had a slow start, and the sale of their star man Eriksen set them back a little, but they’ve bounced back with young Davy Klaassen chipping in with some great performances. Aside from that, even the move to shift Daley Blind from the wide left to the centre of midfield into the ‘Busquets Role’ has worked like a charm, with many experts calling for him to take on that role for the national team as well.

The game is going to be a close fought one, with a lot at stake for both sides, aside from the bragging rights of course. PSV need the win to get a bit closer to the leaders, and try and grab one of the European spots, whereas a slip up by Ajax will see them losing ground to Vitesse, who are currently neck and neck with De Boer’s side, trailing only on goal difference.