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The rivalry between Ajax and PSV is known as ‘De Topper’
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They have faced each other over 170 times since their first matchup in 1931
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Ajax have the edge in their all-time head-to-head with 79 wins to PSV’s 64
Although historically in the shadow of De Klassieker, Ajax and PSV’s rivalry is always a major football betting occasion. It’s a duel between the two most successful teams in Eredivisie history, and between two wildly passionate fan bases.
Just like El Clasico or the Milan Derby, De Topper is a headline maker in European football tips. It’s a match which will often sway title races. It’s must-watch even for those with no more than a passing interest in Dutch football.
Many great players have graced this rivalry. Even as they have fallen from prevalence in Champions League odds, they remain influential in the world game, often providing talents who flourish at the world’s richest clubs.
Read on for everything you could want to know about the Ajax vs PSV rivalry…
Ajax vs PSV Rivalry
This is a fiercely competitive fixture, and will often be the subject of bet of the day conversations, but it isn’t the biggest on the Dutch football calendar.
Where Ajax and Feyenoord has the foundational tension of the city rivalry between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Ajax vs PSV is based on the pitch.
This has flourished in the last 20 or 30 years. Feyenoord have waned as a force in the Eredivisie, leaving PSV as Ajax’s biggest challengers on a year-to-year basis.
PSV have always been in Ajax’s shadow. Ajax is the home of football philosophy, of Rinus Michels, of Johan Cruyff, and of some of the most influential Champions League teams of all-time.
This is a status that PSV cannot get close to emulating despite the number of elite talents they have developed at the club.
Going all the way back to 1984, PSV or Ajax have won the Eredivisie in all but five seasons. These are the two dominant forces in Dutch football, and that will always generate a certain level of rivalry.
There are many reasons for rivalries to become established in football, and decades of being toe-to-toe on the pitch is as good a reason as any.
This isn’t a rivalry which looks like fading any time soon. They are the overwhelming favourites to battle for the title once again in 2021/22, and that’s a pattern which looks set to continue for the foreseeable.
PSV vs Ajax Head To Head
The overall head-to-head between these two teams is in Ajax’s favour. They are the club with the most historical success, and that’s reflected in the Ajax vs PSV head-to-head.
Ajax have enjoyed the upper hand of late, stretching out a seven-match unbeaten run overall. PSV’s best run in this fixture came in the late 1990s, when they beat Ajax four times in a row.
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Ajax wins vs PSV: 79
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Ajax vs PSV draws: 32
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PSV wins vs Ajax: 64
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Ajax goals vs PSV: 316
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PSV goals vs Ajax: 284
Ajax v PSV League Results
PSV have a narrow edge over Ajax in the all-time Eredivisie results. It’s 53 wins to 50 as of July 2021.
There’s little to choose between them in goal scoring tally either, with PSV having scored just three more league goals in De Topper matches than Ajax.
When it comes to silverware, however, it’s much less even. PSV have won the Eredivisie 10 times since the turn of the century, yet they remain 11 titles behind Ajax.
Ajax enjoy the same lead when it comes to KNVB Cup success. It’s four Champions League wins to one, too.
This is a modern sporting rivalry. There’s not a great deal to choose between the clubs in the 21st century, but history and prestige is most definitely in the favour of Ajax.
PSV v Ajax Eredivisie H2H Record:
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Ajax wins – 50
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Draws – 27
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PSV wins – 53
Ajax vs PSV Eredivisie goals
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Ajax – 212
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PSV – 215
Next Ajax vs PSV Match
The next Ajax vs PSV match is due to take place in the 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield match on August 8th 2021. The next Ajax vs PSV meeting in the Eredivisie is scheduled for the 24th October 2021.
Ajax are currently on a seven-match unbeaten run against PSV in Amsterdam.
Next PSV vs Ajax Match
Following their clash in the Johan Cruyff Shield, PSV host Ajax at Philips Stadion on 23rd January 2022.
The previous matchup between the two teams in Eindhoven ended 1-1 as a late penalty from Dusan Tadic saw Ajax steal a point.
Biggest Ajax win vs PSV
Ajax 5-0 PSV, November 1964
Biggest PSV win vs Ajax
PSV 6-2 Ajax, April 2009, September 1975
Transfers between Ajax and PSV
Like most rivals, transfers between Ajax and PSV are infrequent. Only 15 players in the history of this rivalry have moved directly between the two clubs.
It is, however, becoming gradually more common, with seven players making the leap one way or the other since 2006.
A raft of others have played for Ajax or PSV despite having history with their De Topper foes. This group includes Patrick Kluivert, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Jaap Stam and current Netherlands star Donyell Malen.
Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn was in Ajax’s academy before switching to PSV as a teenager. He went on to make 149 appearances for PSV ahead of his move to the Premier League.
Zakaria Labyad, who signed for Ajax in 2018, came through at PSV, and made 67 appearances for the club. Labyad is the most recent example of a player ending up at Ajax despite a past with PSV.
Here’s a complete list of the players who transferred between the two clubs:
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Jan Hassink
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Piet van der Kuil
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Frits Soetekouw
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Gerald Vanenburg
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Ronald Koeman
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Stanley Menzo
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Kenneth Perez
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Nick Viergever
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Gert Bals
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Peter Hoekstra
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Kenneth Perez (moved back to Ajax in 2008)
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Ismail Aissati
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Andre Ooijer
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Riechedley Bazoer
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James Fofana
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Peter Dejong / AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 26th July 2021
