Heracles Almelo started the league very surprisingly with a 2-1 victory over Ajax. That success has not been matched by head coach John Stegeman's team. Results have been mixed and as a result Heracles is in thirteenth place with nine points from eight games.
No clean sheet
Goalkeeper Bram Castro has not yet managed to keep his goal clean this season. That will also be difficult against PSV, as they have already scored 26 times this season. That makes the leaders the most scoring team in the Eredivisie. Heracles may have had to concede at least one goal in every league game so far, but they have scored in their last ten away games.
Alert at dead game moments
Stegeman has prepared his team well for the standard situations. Heracles only conceded one goal from a dead ball moment. That can come in handy against PSV, because Phillip Cocu's team has already scored eight times in this way. Five times from a corner kick and three times from a penalty.
Three former PSV players
Three players in Heracles' side have a past with PSV. Midfielder Peter van Ooijen went through PSV's youth academy and made one league appearance. Bram Castro was under contract with PSV for only six months in 2010. Castro's only match was the cup game against Spakenburg. Belgian Dries Wuytens also enjoyed part of his education in Eindhoven. However, he did not make the first team.