“The puzzle of the preparation has been put together. We are going to see how we stand physically as a whole. PSV coach Ruud van Nistelrooij said this before the match for the Johan Cruijff Scale, this Saturday evening against Ajax. The debuting coach is happy that the season can finally start: “Now it’s about the real thing, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Cup winner PSV and national champion Ajax kick off the season in the Johan Cruijff Arena in the battle for the first prize. “It’s clear what kind of poster this is. A top match against a top team,” said 46-year-old Van Nistelrooij.
“I think it’s going to be a tough and fierce game.”
Returning captain Luuk de Jong also expects a lot from it: “I think it will be a tough and fierce match. Ajax is very good at the moment, but we have our tactics for that.”
De Jong gets a lot of confidence from the training campaign of the Eindhoven players: “The matches we played were of a good level and we took a lot from them. I have the feeling that as a team we are immediately ready to take on Ajax. “
“We have Cody Gakpo at our disposal.”
Van Nistelrooij thinks the same as his captain. De Geffenaar was appointed as the new trainer in March: “Then you can already do a lot of preparatory work and that is nice. We will be as well prepared as possible for the kick-off tomorrow.”
Whether star player Cody Gakpo will appear at the kick-off was the big question for many PSV fans. Van Nistelrooij revealed that the attacker is ‘just’ there: “We have Cody at our disposal. That is obvious.” André Ramalho is also available. Van Nistelrooij does not want to reveal whether the two are in the starting line-up.
Olivier Boscagli, Mauro Junior, Yorbe Vertessen, Carlos Vinicius and also Noni Madueke are injured. They will watch from the stands.
PSV will play another important game on Tuesday. In the first meeting with Monaco in the preliminary round for participation in the Champions League, major interests are at stake. From a financial point of view, the game against the French could be of great importance.
“The match against Ajax is all that matters.”
Whether Van Nistelrooij has included all this in his competition preparation?: “No, not really. We prepared for this match and that’s all that matters. With five substitutions we will see if we can go maximum.”
There are football fans who no longer regard the Johan Cruijff Scale as a top prize. Luuk de Jong thinks otherwise: “It is always a price. You want to win every prize as a top athlete and especially in such a great match against Ajax.”
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