Thought I'd start the thread now, and search for news, info and lineups throughout the day and evening... I'll have this live over here, on ESPN Int'l-Pacific Rim, and I'm unsure if it's being broadcast back in the States (other than possibly on closed circuit or PPV?)... Kickoff time is 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT (and 11 p.m. AEDT over here in eastern Australia). John O'Brien said on the "Press Pass" live TV show on ESPN Int'l the other night that the slight groin injury that he picked up at the end of the midweek Champions League match against AS Roma would not keep him out of this match, or any other upcoming games as well. So it's more or less of a given that he will start. Good thing for him and for Ajax, too, as they trail PSV by seven points for the Dutch Eredivisie championship, and this is as big of a game the player and club will get outisde of European competition. Dutch league table can be found here: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=NED.1&cc=3436 Assuming that not too many others will be able to get live TV coverage of this match, I'll handle the PbP tonight once again. I'll look for other relevant news for this match, as time permits between now and kickoff.
Re: Re: JOB: PSV v Ajax, 3/23/03 {R.} Likely not-- if he can play against PSV, then he can certainly play against Venezuela, provided he comes through unscathed on Sunday. Was he on the original list, that would have played against Japan? Reason I ask is that I don't recall him there, but he's on the list for the "contingency" opponent in Venezuela... http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=29420&itype= Actually, he was on that original list after all... In any event, should be an interesting game tonight, and I'll track his progress.
News roundup #1, courtesy of the sites I normally peruse... Real Betis confirm Zlatan interest (from planetfootball.com): http://www.planetfootball.com/artic...15&cpid=9&title=Betis+confirm+Zlatan+interest Koeman would love a Barça challenge (also from planetfootball.com): http://www.planetfootball.com/artic...pid=9&title=Koeman+would+love+Barca+challenge Ajax turn back the clock (analysis, from uefa.com): http://www.uefa.com/magazine/News/Kind=8/newsId=60336.html Mido goes temporarily home (from Ajax's official site): http://english.ajax.nl/show/id=118083/contentid=27718 Been trying, above all else, to find a match preview, but without any luck. If anyone can find one and post it here, that would be greatly appreciated. Might even have to Babelfish something from the Dutch papers...
Found a preview, from PSV's official site: http://english.psv.nl/show?id=21372&contentid=3517 Vogel and Kezman to return for PSV: http://english.psv.nl/show?id=21372&contentid=3519 Have not been able to find anything on Ajax's site relevant to a match preview, yet, in Dutch or in English. And worse, the Dutch papers centered in both Amsterdam and Eindhoven are slow to load. More help needed...
No surprise, but JOB gets the start for Ajax... Lineups (from soccernet.com): PSV EINDHOVEN 23 Ronald Waterreus 30 Kasper Bogelund 22 Wilfred Bouma 2 Andre Ooijer Yong-Pyo Lee 6 Mark van Bommel 14 Johann Vogel 9 Mateja Kezman 11 Arjen Robben 19 Dennis Rommedahl 8 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink Subs: Frank Kooiman 4 Ernst Faber 5 Jan Heintze 26 Do Bonfim Leandro 16 Theo Lucius 13 Remco van der Schaaf 10 Arnold Bruggink AJAX AMSTERDAM Bogdan Lobont 1 Christian Chivu 5 Scherer Andrade Maxwell 13 John O'Brien 18 Petri Pasanen 16 Hatem Trabelsi 2 Tomas Galasek 4 Steven Pienaar 10 Rafael van der Vaart 23 Zlatan Ibrahimovic 9 Andy van der Meyde 7 Subs: Joey Didulica 21 Wesley Sneijder 15 Jelle van Damme 24 Richard Witschge 8 Abubakari Yakubu 22 Nourdin Boukhari 28 Nigel De Jong 26
Interesting stat just posted: Last 15 games between these teams, regardless of venue... PSV wins = 9 Draws = 6 Ajax wins = 0 Last Ajax win: 1994 The game is on-- and Van Bommel gets booked 15 seconds in, for a foul on JOB.
6th min.- Zlatan gets to Maxwell's left-sided corss, but Waterreus gets enough of it to force a corner. 7th min.- Bouma puts a free kick from about 25 yards out over Lobunt's goal.
Key matchup-- JOB on Rommedahl... 9th min.- PK awarded, Trabelsi upends Robben in the box... Kezman converts the penalty; Lobont didn't even flinch. Powerful shot into the upper corner. PSV 1 Ajax 0, 11th minute.
16th min.- JOB gets in a deep cross from the byline for VDV, whose back-header finds Zlatan, who heads over the goal. JOB looking very mobile down the left, showing no signs of his injury late in the Roma game in midweek. 19th min.- Zlatan tripped up by Van Bommel about 28 yards from goal-- Chivu's dipping free kick curls wide to the right.
23rd min.- JVoH heads Rommedahl's corner wide, with Lobont stuck to the goal line. 24th min.- JOB's left-sided cross goes over the lead of VDM, forcing VDM to chase the ball down the other flank. 26th min.- After JOB breaks up a PSV attack while having to drift over into the middle to help out, another Ajax attack is stopped cold at the top of the PSV box. The home side's defense is holding solid so far...
28th min.- JOB intercepts along the left, distributes well cross-field to Trabelsi. Trabelsi's next pass, however, is blocked. High-pressure game so far, by both sides... 30th min.- Rommedahl given room down the right, with JOB backtracking, but Chivu clears the cross from central defense. 31st min.- JOB intercepts again, as PSV try to play route-one football, in an attempt to catch the Ajax backline napping...
33rd min.- Sub for PSV, an injured Bogelund comes off, unclear who's going to come into the game in his place... announcement now, it's Faber. 34th min.- Van Bommel's long free kick grabbed easily out of the air by Lobont. 35th min.- Trabelsi gives away another free kick on the left-hand flank, but an offside ensues on the restart. Trabelsi had been booked earlier for giving away the PK, should be more careful... 37th min.- Kezman with a couple of chances for PSV, but Lobont saves on the second shot.
38th min.- JOB tackles and clears from Rommedahl... 39th min.- Nice Ajax move, with Pasanen and Zlatan playing a one-two, but Pasanen drags his shot wide right, and only just.
40th min.- Van Bommel heads wide from a free kick, given after VDM had fouled Lee down the left. 42nd min.- JOB caught upfield while partnering Maxwell in attack, but as PSV counter quickly, Chivu covers well and clears.
Three minutes added on... 45+ min.- Pienaar's long ball over the top seeks Zlatan, but the Swede can't get around the defender... Chances at a premium so far, as the first half ends... Halftime-- PSV 1 Kezman 11 (pen.) Ajax 0
JOB watch: Maybe not his best game so far, but still not bad. Looking very mobile, not fearful of getting involved in the attack, and generally marking Rommedahl well, not allowing him to get any crosses in. JOB looking very worthy-- and very much in form-- of his call-up for the Venezuela friendly next weekend.
48th min.- Maxwell gets a cross in, but not as early as he would have liked, and the PSV defense clears it easily. 49th min.- VDM wins a corner, after having an initial shot blocked following an excellent left-sided run; Zlatan's header on VDM's ensuing corner goes right at Waterreus. Ajax coming more into this game, on their attacking form....
54th min.- JOB distributes well upfield to Zlatan, as Ajax maintain possession... Chivu booked, for a hard foul.
55th min.- JOB makes a long run forward, down the middle-- has space in front of him, but rushes his shot and sees it go wide right. 57th min.- JOB looking to play the early ball in transition to Zlatan-- unsuccessful, but winning the ball cleanly in his defensive play nonetheless. 58th min.- Kezman goes on a breakaway, but his touch lets him down, allowing Lobont to gather the ball in with ease.
60th min.- Zlatan fires wide left, on a turn-and-half-volley, from Trabelsi's pinpoint ball over the top from the right. 61st min.- PSV's last sub, Heintze on for Bouma, who comes off injured. 63rd min.- Zlatan wins a corner, after taking on three defenders, but PSV clear Maxwell's corner.
64th min.- JOB knocks the ball away from Rommedahl, in a non-dangerous spot on the right-hand flank, surrendering a throw. 66th min.- Van Bommel levelled by Zlatan, but the Swede escapes a booking. 68th min.- JOB defends well against Rommedahl again, dispossessing him and trying to engineer a counter, but good shape in PSV's midfield and defense prevent Ajax from countering successfully.
70th min.- Chivu gets a second yellow-- dissent, throwing the ball away after the whistle... Ajax down to ten men. Ajax make their furst sub, Boukhari on for Pienaar.