For the first time in the history of the Eurojackpot Women's Eredivisie, NAC will visit TenCate Stadion De Herdgang for a match against PSV. Together with defender Sara Thrige we look ahead to this derby and briefly look back at the semi-final won in the cup against AZ.
Last week Ten Berge's team qualified for the final of the Eurojackpot KNVB Beker by winning at AZ (1-2). In this match, PSV did not have an easy time, but eventually achieved a nice result. "It was a tough match. We have recently played there twice now and in both duels we struggled. But I think we followed our plan well and I think we deservedly won." Achieving this final round is very much alive within the team and Sara looks back on this result with pride. "It means a lot to us. It's one of the goals we set for the season. We would like to compete for prizes."
Solid defense
This season, PSV seems to have things in order at the back and currently has the fewest goals conceded in the league. Sara is pleased with this performance and aims to maintain this form in the final stages of the season. "Of course it's nice. We want to score often as a team, but it is also important that we give up as few goals as possible. It's not only because of the defense that we don't score many goals, but it's thanks to the whole team that we give away so little and are in good shape at the back."
Final sprint
With only six matches left in the competition, the Eurojackpot Eredivisie is nearing its end. So far, Sara Thrige looks back on an extraordinary season, in which the team has made a lot of progress. "It has been a season full of challenges. We've had a lot of injuries which meant some players couldn't play as much. After Christmas we really made strides and got better as a team." PSV Women is currently the list leader, but the Danish international does not experience any extra pressure because of this position in the rankings. "I don't think we experience extra pressure because we are now at the top. We set high expectations for ourselves as a team and want to be here. Right now we are looking at match by match. It's still six finals and at the top it's close."
Negative form
Earlier this season, PSV managed a nice result in the Brabant derby, winning 0-5 in Breda. Sara is motivated to win again against NAC and knows what is needed for another good result. "We have to follow our plan and the most important thing is of course the three points. Besides that, I hope we play well and score a lot of goals, but first of all we just want to win." NAC is currently in negative form and lost its last five games, yet Sara is aware of the team's qualities and does not underestimate Sunday's opponent. "Despite losing in their last game, they played a good game against Ajax. I don't think Sunday is going to be easy. It's important that we are sharp from the start."