Eredivisie Preview: Departing Faber calls for strong PSV finish

Runaway Eredivisie leaders PSV are strong favourites to heap more misery on Dordrecht this weekend, while Ajax face Willem II.

Departing assistant coach Ernest Faber has called on PSV to “finish the season in style” and the runaway Eredivisie leaders will be expected to move another step closer to winning the title by beating Dordrecht on Sunday.

Faber this week announced that he will leave the Philips Stadion when his contract expires at the end of the season after almost three years as second in command.

The 43-year-old former PSV defender, who has also coached at the club’s academy and been part of the Netherlands coaching staff, believes the time is right to step up to a head coach role.

Faber is eager to leave Eindhoven on a high note and with Phillip Cocu’s side 12 points clear of Ajax at the top of the Eredivisie, he looks set to do just that.

“I feel the time has come to take the next step in my career,” Faber told PSV TV. “I want to develop further. That is a very natural process and I am ready for this step.

“When I joined PSV as assistant coach three seasons ago, I made a conscious choice to help the head coach to keep improving PSV. Now I have made another conscious choice.

“But first we will finish the season in style with PSV before I will see where my future lies.”

Luuk de Jong scored a hat-trick as the leaders stretched their winning run to 10 games by beating AZ last Friday and now face a Dordrecht side who were hammered 6-1 at Utrecht on Sunday and are rooted to the foot of the table with only 12 points.

Champions Ajax travel to mid-table Willem II eyeing a third consecutive league victory on Sunday.

Frank de Boer’s side thrashed Willem 5-0 back in December, but Jurgen Streppel’s charges have won their last three home games without scoring a goal so the champions can expect a sterner test this weekend.

Third-placed Feyenoord have lost two of their last three Eredivisie games after crashing to a 2-0 defeat at struggling Heracles and can ill afford another setback at home to Excelsior.

Heracles could climb out of the relegation zone if they beat Utrecht on Saturday, while second-bottom NAC Breda need to stop the rot when they host Cambuur on Friday after three consecutive defeats.

Go Ahead Eagles entertain AZ and ADO Den Haag at home to Zwolle in the other games to be played on Saturday, while Groningen travel to Heerenveen and Twente take on Vitesse on Sunday.