A deliberate defeat in the making? ‘Then PSV will widen the financial gap even further’

The 2025/2026 Eredivisie season is almost over, and with two matchdays remaining, some decisions have already been made. For example, PSV has long since been crowned champions, and Heracles Almelo has officially been relegated.

In addition, the chances are quite high given the goal difference by which NAC Breda is relegated. The fight for second place and thus direct qualification for the main tournament of the Champions League is still completely wide open.

At the moment, Feyenoord has the best prospects, with a five-point lead over number 3 NEC and six points over Ajax and FC Twente. The Tukkers missed an excellent opportunity last weekend to take over third place, which grants entry to the Champions League qualification round, from NEC after AZ managed to equalize to 2-2 in the final seconds of stoppage time.

For John van den Brom’s team, this weekend’s home match against Sparta Rotterdam is on the schedule, after which they will travel to Eindhoven in the last matchday to take on reigning champions PSV. In the podcast De Derde Helft, podcast maker Rogier Jacobs suggests that Peter Bosz’s team can do better by losing this match.

In the podcast, Jacobs goes deeper into this suggestion. ''For people who want to become rich, then I would bet on the final match PSV – FC Twente. Put your money on FC Twente. PSV smells of millions. PSV gets extra millions if no third club qualifies for the Champions League. So if they’re a bit smart, they’ll lose the last match. I think FC Twente has the lowest chance of getting through those preliminary rounds and reaching the Champions League. And that simply provides PSV with millions'', says the podcast maker.

Then transfer journalist Mounir Boualin adds: ''Plus, if Ajax also doesn’t qualify for the Champions League group stage, they don’t stand a chance anymore for those Champions League millions. Then PSV widens the financial gap even further'', Boualin says.

Finally, Jacobs comes with a cynical piece of advice to Amsterdam. ''I now have a tip for Ajax. If they now put all those millions on FC Twente for the last match'', concludes Jacobs.