Dutch football authorities grant PSV Eindhoven a free weekend to prepare for Champions League play-off against Rangers… while Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side face a lunchtime trip to Edinburgh to play Hibernian
- PSV Eindhoven have been handed a free weekend to prepare for Rangers clash
- They will be in Glasgow for the first leg of the qualifying play-off on Tuesday
- Dutch football authorities have agreed to grant PSV a free weekend to prepare
- They postponed their league clash with FC Volendam scheduled for Saturday
- While Rangers face a Saturday lunchtime trip to Edinburgh to play Hibernian
PSV Eindhoven have been handed a free weekend to prepare for their big-money Champions League shoot-out with Rangers.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team will be in Glasgow for the first leg of the qualifying play-off on Tuesday night.
With £40million and the club coefficient on the line, Dutch football authorities have agreed to grant PSV a free weekend before the second leg on Wednesday, August 24, by postponing their league clash with FC Volendam scheduled for Saturday, August 20.
PSV Eindhoven have been handed a free weekend to prepare for their clash with Rangers
While PSV rest up ahead of the crucial second leg, Rangers face a Saturday lunchtime trip to Edinburgh to play Hibernian at Easter Road.
Selected for live coverage by Sky Sports, SPFL sources say there are no free calendar dates before Christmas which would enable the Scottish Cup holders to benefit from a free weekend similar to PSV.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team will be in Glasgow for the first leg of the Champions League qualifying play-off on Tuesday night
Dutch football authorities have agreed to grant PSV a free weekend to prepare – postponing their league clash with FC Volendam scheduled for Saturday
The Dutch gesture comes after Eindhoven midfielder Joey Veerman slammed the lack of preparation time granted to him and his team-mates before the first leg of their third qualifying round victory over Monaco.
Addressing the legginess of the PSV side after a 1-1 draw in Monaco, Veerman referred to the fact that they had played in the Johan Cruyff Shield against arch rivals Ajax just three days previously.
‘Do you think it’s crazy, or not?’ asked the one-time Rangers target. ‘We played two and a half days ago.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side face a Saturday lunchtime trip to Edinburgh to play Hibernian
‘I think we were home at one o’clock in the morning. The next day we recovered and then we were boarding a plane to Monaco again on Monday morning. I think it was all very poorly planned.’
Despite the complaints, PSV recorded a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Monaco on Tuesday night after extra-time.
In contrast, Rangers secured their place in the play-off round in normal time after overcoming a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium to win 3-0 at Ibrox.
