After two league defeats, PSV must win again on Saturday. That has to happen when visiting Vitesse. A difficult opponent but Roger Schmidt can have an almost fit selection.
In the Gelredome, the German coach cannot rely on André Ramalho, Maxi Gomez and Ryan Thomas. Marco van Ginkel returns from the infirmary and was back on the training field on Friday afternoon.
Roger Schmidt had good news about the injured. Strongholder Ramalho may be back earlier than expected. Next week, the Brazilian will be out of plaster, after which the trainer may expect him back before April.
Noni Madueke
PSV won convincingly in the quarterfinals of the NAC cup last Tuesday. The star in that match was the returning Noni Madueke. Despite only playing 45 minutes, the attacker was accurate.
However, Schmidt does not want to put too much pressure on the Englishman. “We will give Noni some time to return. We don’t put too much pressure on him.”
The attacker is also not 100 percent fit. “Three games a week are too much for Noni. But last Tuesday has felt like a solid workout. So he can participate again tomorrow.” Although the German left it in the middle whether Madueke would start.”
Vitesse
PSV’s opponent is in a difficult phase. Last week they lost big twice to FC Twente and Ajax. Still, Schmidt has been warned. “Lois Openda and Jacob Rasmussen return. Then suddenly there is another Vitesse. We assume a top-level opponent.”
Earlier this season, the Eindhoven team easily won against Vitesse. According to the coach, it was one of the better games of the season. But that is no guarantee for tomorrow. “We played a very good game at home. But tomorrow we start again from zero. Vitesse is very strong at home, we have to watch out for that.”
Finally, Schmidt did not want to comment on whether Thomas Letsch would be a good trainer for PSV. The German trainer of Vitesse is mentioned by various experts as a possible successor to Schmidt. But the PSV coach leaves that choice to the management.