Head coach Phillip Cocu has challenged PSV Eindhoven to stand up to the pressure and deliver the required performance at Excelsior after the champions were beaten by Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord.
Cocu's men suffered a second consecutive loss in the space of a week at the Philips Stadion when they went down 1-0 to a late goal as Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side maintained their 100 per cent league start.
PSV subsequently beat Roda 4-0 in the KNVB Beker on Wednesday.
Cocu is targeting a similar display against Excelsior on Saturday night, after which his team will aim to get their Champions League campaign up and running with a trip to Russian side Rostov.
"We have to win to keep pressure on Feyenoord," Cocu said, quoted on the club's official website.
"We are PSV and will always be under pressure. We need to be able to cope with that.
"In fact, we welcome pressure as we put on better displays under pressure than when we take things for granted."
Ajax are also in action on Saturday at home to bottom club Zwolle.
Peter Bosz's side are currently third, level on 13 points with PSV, but some five behind Feyenoord, who host struggling Roda on Sunday afternoon.
Zwolle prop up the table, without a win from six Eredivisie matches.
Bosz told a press conference: "Zwolle has been performing consistently well in the past years, but it can happen that if a team like this loses several key players, things go downhill quickly."
Ajax were also in midweek cup action, beating Willem II 5-0 in a tie which saw visiting midfielder Anouar Kali become the first player in Holland to be sent off following a review by the video assistant referee, having initially been shown only a yellow card for a foul.
Bosz handed debuts to three academy players and says he will need all of his squad for the challenges ahead this season, which also include a Europe League campaign, continuing next week with a home tie against Standard Liege.
"You can never win a competition with 11 players, so we are going to need everyone and are now going to play three matches is rapid succession," he said.
"Considering the busy schedule, everyone will get playing minutes.
Van Bronckhorst hopes his squad will benefit from some downtime, having also rotated the line-up for their cup win over FC Oss on Thursday.
He said on Feyenoord TV: "We are fresher than we were last week against PSV, because we were able to give the boys some time off."
Fourth-placed AZ Alkmaar will be out to capitalise on any slip-ups by PSV or Ajax when they host Go Ahead Eagles on Saturday evening.
Elsewhere, Den Haag host Heerenveen and Groningen play Heracles Almelo.
Sunday's other matches see Willem II travel to NEC Nijmegen, FC Twente are at home against Vitesse Arnhem while Utrecht play Sparta Rotterdam.
Source: PA-WIRE
