Roeland ten Berge 's team travels to the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday for the topper against Ajax Women. It promises to be an exciting encounter with the so far unbeaten number two of the league. Attacker Liz Rijsbergen looks forward to the game with confidence and certainly sees opportunities for her team.
For now, the statistics speak in Ajax's favor. In the last twenty meetings, PSV Women managed to win only four times and draw three times. The goal difference over that series is 21 for and 31 against, figures that underline the Amsterdammers' dominance.
However, recent history speaks in PSV's favor. Last season they won every encounter with the Amsterdammers. That started with a 0-2 win in the ArenA, followed by a 3-1 victory at the Philips Stadium. They then won 5-1 in the Eredivisie Cup.
Focus on a great battle
Attacker Liz Rijsbergen is looking forward to the meeting with Ajax Women with great anticipation. "I think it's going to be a really fun match," she says. "Two really soccer-playing teams that will battle each other on Saturday. I hope for a great match and that we end up with the three points at the end of the match." The attacker expects an intense duel, in which details will make the difference.
Challenge against strong-scoring Ajax
Ajax is currently second in the Eurojackpot Women's Eredivisie and, apart from FC Twente, has the best goal difference in the league. According to Liz, that only makes the opponent more interesting. "You always have to be sharp to make sure you don't get any or as few goals against as possible," she says. "The fact that Ajax scores so easily makes it an objective for us to keep that zero. That's a nice challenge against a team like that." Offensively, Liz sees plenty of opportunities: "We are a good footballing team and can take a lot of chances from that. We have enough girls in the team who can pick up a goal. The most important thing is that we keep faith in our own qualities and don't want to force too much."
Confidence as a weapon
Roeland ten Berge 's team is in a strong phase with only one defeat so far. According to Liz, that creates a positive feeling within the group. "The atmosphere is good and that is very important towards every match. We're well into it and now it's up to us to continue that streak and show our best version of ourselves Saturday. The feeling of winning only strengthens the atmosphere within the team, so we will work hard for that on Saturday."
The game with Ajax starts at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN 1.