“Maybe play a trick like with the Netherlands-Argentina”

Trainer Ruud van Nistelrooij is fit again after being ill for a few days. The PSV coach was on the training field of the Herdgang this morning in the run-up to the return against Sevilla in the Europa League.

“I’m glad to be back,” said Van Nistelrooij at the press conference. It was “a strange sensation” for the trainer to watch FC Utrecht-PSV (2-2) at home with the family on the couch last Sunday.

“I was calm, but I sympathized. I saw that we had a ball on the post at the end of the game and the keeper saved twice. We just didn’t get those three points, which, again, would have been there. That sucks,” he looked back briefly.

Then on to the order of the day. PSV will be faced with a mega job on Thursday evening in Eindhoven (kick-off at 6.45 p.m.) if the number four in the Eredivisie has to undo last week’s 3-0 defeat in Seville.

Van Nistelrooij does believe in a miracle. “According to the statistics and also without the statistics, we need that,” said the trainer.

“You have to be good and focused,” says De Brabander, who was satisfied with the first half in Seville despite the big defeat. “That was our best half of the season. We have reached that level, but we now have to hold on to that for longer. I call that development.”

Van Nistelrooij hopes tomorrow evening that PSV will still have a view of a desired result in the last half hour of the match. “Then you might be able to pull off some tricks, as we saw for example at the Netherlands-Argentina at the World Cup.”

In addition to Van Nistelrooij, Ibrahim Sangaré also returned to the training field. Just like the trainer, the midfielder missed the away match against FC Utrecht due to flu. It is still unclear whether the 25-year-old Ivorian is fit enough for a basic place.

Van Nistelrooij misses the injured Anwar El Ghazi, Thorgan Hazard and Savio in this match. Jason van Duiven, the current club top scorer of Jong PSV, Jenson Seelt and Simon Colyn of Jong PSV are members of the PSV selection.