Hibernians to play against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday
Malta champions Hibernians will be meeting PSV Eindhoven of The Netherlands in a prestigious friendly match at the Hibernians Stadium in Corradino next Tuesday at 7.30pm.
The match is part of a training camp being organised by the famous top Dutch club, who have qualified for the Last 16 KO stage of the UEFA Champions League this season. The Dutch champions eliminated Manchester United from their group after registering a victory and a draw against them in the Group stage.
Addressing a news conference yesterday morning, the club’s executive secretary Stephen Abela said this will be another big occasion for the Paola team. “It is not the first time that Hibernians are meeting a top European side and despite this being a friendly match, we will be taking it very seriously. However, we intend giving our promising youngsters the opportunity to gain useful experience by providing some playing time to them in this match,” he said.
The match kicks off at 7.30pm and the Stadium doors will open at 6.30pm. Until kick off, there will be an entertainment programme with the participation of some of the Eurovision Song Contest finalists.
There will be an admission charge of €10, but children Under 12 will pay only €2.
He added that the MFA electronic cards will not be valid for this match. Tickets will be on sale from Paola Square on Monday and at the gates on match day.
Referee Marco Borg will be controlling the match.
Jeffrey Farrugia, Hibs team manager, said only two players – Marcelo Dias and Rodolfo Soares will be missing the match. They are both injured. “At present, there is an excellent atmosphere in the dressing room despite the Premier League loss against Valletta. I am sure we will be back strongly. Anyway, it is still very early and even the teams behind us will possibly catch up in the run in for the title.
“As to Tarabaj, I can say that he is still a Hibernians player, but whether he will be staying with us after January, we do not know yet,” he added.
Helmut Amhof, of SLFC Soccer, represented in Malta by its subsidiary company Malta Football Camps, said his company is the biggest in Europe and it has been organising training camps in summer and in winter in various areas, but especially in Austria, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Now we have found out that Malta also has very good facilities to organise such training camps.
“Here we have formed a fantastic partnership with the MFA and Hibernians.
“We have taken care of 140 teams recently, among them top clubs like Ajax Amsterdam, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Paris St Germain, Valencia, FC Zenit, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Besiktas, Schalke 04 and AS Roma.
SLFC also hosted Manchester City in Innsbruck, Austria where they played three matches against Al Hilal, Dynamo Dresden and Besiktas.
“In all, SLFC has worked with more than 500 clubs and 80 national teams (including youth teams). Among these are the national football associations of Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Cameroon and Sweden,” he said.
Amhof confirmed that around 16 teams – in all – will be visiting Malta in the next weeks for their winter training camps.
About PSV Eindhoven
The club, which is sponsored by the world famous Philips brand, was founded in 1913 as a team for Philips employees.
PSV’s history contains two golden eras revolving around the UEFA Cup victory in 1978 and the 1987-88 European Cup victory as part of the seasonal treble in 1988. The team has won the Eredivisie 22 times, the KNVB Cup nine times and the Johan Cruijff Schaal nine times.
Currently, PSV is 28th on the UEFA club coefficients ranking.
Throughout the years, PSV established itself as a stepping stone for future world class players like Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romário, Ronaldo, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben.
Since its foundation, it has played in the Philips Stadion and has upheld its club colours (red and white). Its elaborate connection with Philips can be witnessed in its sponsoring, shared technology and board member ties.
PSV Eindhoven squad
Goalkeepers: Jeroen Zoet, Remko Pasveer, Luuk Koopmans
Defenders: Hector Moreno, Santiago Arias, Jeffrey Bruma, Joshua Brenet, Jordy de Wijs, Jorrit Hendrix, Jetro Willems, Nicolas Isimat Mirin, Simon Poulsen, Menno Koch
Midfielders: Andres Guardado, Andrija Lukovic, Kenneth Paal, Clint Leemans, Adam Maher, Davy Propper, Stijn Schaars, Steven Bergwijn, Rai Vloet
Strikers: Maxime Lestienne, Luuk de Jong, Luciano Narsingh, Jurgen Locadia, Florian Jozefzoon, Gaston Pereiro, Aleksandar Boljevic, Nikolai Laursen.