PSV request granted as Arsenal Champions League tie boost emerges

PSV Eindhoven have been granted a request to move their Eredivisie game against SC Heerenveen - sandwiched in between both Champions League round of 16 ties against Arsenal - forward by an hour.

The Dutch side face the Gunners in the first leg at Phillips Stadion on Tuesday, March 4 at 9pm local time. Peter Bosz's side then host Heerenveen in the league on Saturday, March 8.

PSV were scheduled to take on Heerenveen at 9pm local time on that Saturday, but following a request of the Eindhoven team, they will now kick-off that game at 8pm instead.

Eredivisie matches can be rescheduled if teams in European club competitions request this to better recover from games to prepare for upcoming fixtures. The KNVB state that games will only be changed if the Eredivisie schedule allows, the local authorities of the home club agree to the new date or time and there is approval from the professional football competition board, as per De Telegraaf.

PSV now have an extra hour to prepare for the second leg against Arsenal on Wednesday, March 12. That could be the little edge Bosz's men need to get a positive result at the Emirates.

Before that and the first leg, PSV make the trip to Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie on Saturday looking to bounce back after losing against the same opposition in the KNVB Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Two first-half goals were enough to dump PSV out of the competition, despite Ivan Perisic's 59th minute penalty.

Speaking after the game, PSV midfielder Guus Til cut a frustrated figure. He said: "That's right, we just weren't good today. I had the idea that they wanted it more than we did.

"That's a painful conclusion, but we lost too many duels, it was too weak. I find it difficult to say anything about it, so you quickly come to such a conclusion. Whether it's true, I don't know."

Reacting to Til's statement that Go Ahead Eagles wanted to win the game more than PSV, Bosz added: "That seems to be the case, because we didn't get a chance in the first half. It was only in the second half, when we started playing with a different field occupation, that we got a grip on it.

"It's a shame that we need a deficit to start playing better. Considering the entire match, Go Ahead Eagles is the rightful finalist."