With Christmas almost upon us, there is just one match left to be played at the Stadium of Light before December 25.
Sunderland under-23s welcome Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven to Wearside as they resume their Premier League International Cup campaign.
Fixture: Sunderland U23 v Jong PSV
Location: Stadium of Light
Date and kick-off: Friday 23 December, kick-off 12pm.
Competition: Premier League International Cup
How they line-up: Jong PSV
League position: 5th
League wins: 49
League defeats: 5
League goals scored: 30
League goals conceded: 19
Form guide: LLWLD
Last time out in the Premier League International Cup: Derby County 2-1 PSV (dcfc.co.uk)
Derby County under-23s recorded an impressive 2-1 victory over Dutch side PSV Eindhoven this evening in their first game of this season's International Cup. Two goals in the first half, courtesy of Nick Blackman from the penalty spot and a header from skipper Farrend Rawson, proved to enough for the Rams at St George’s Park. However, Albert Gudmundsson pulled a goal back from the penalty spot – but Derby held on.
Spotlight – Jong PSV head coach Pascal Jansen
Dutch born, Pascal Jansen has been in the role since July 2015 after previously being the PSV under-19 head coach. The 43-year-old made the move after two seasons with the under-19 side and prior to joining PSV, he was head of the academy at both Sparta Rotterdam and Vitesse.
Key battle: Elliot Embleton v Kenneth Paal
Kenneth Paal has been a mainstay in the team’s midfield this season and is highly rated in the Dutch ranks. The 19-year-old has bags of potential and has great vision to pull off a pass that can hurt any team. Paal has featured for the Netherlands under-17 team and was runner-up with the team at 2014 European under-17 Championships. His match-up with the creative flare of Elliot Embleton will be an interesting one as Sunderland’s 17-year-old starlet looks to force his way into first-team frame after making the matchday squad against Watford.
For ticket information, click here.
