The Eredivisie, perhaps more so than any other European league, consistently provides drama season upon season in the battle between its elite for the annual bragging rights across the country.

This year, however, there are two teams that stand head and shoulders above the rest, joint top on 80 points, 18 points above their closest rivals having had extraordinarily relentless, statistically staggering and spotlessly complete campaigns from start to finish.

In recent times, Dutch football has been neglect of such free-flowing, ferocious attacking play, and the unrelenting spectacle that Erik ten Hag’s Ajax and Mark Van Bommel’s PSV have offered has been recognised continentally as well as in Holland.

Since 2010, Feyenoord of 2016/17 and PSV of 2014/15 are the only two teams to have surpassed +60 goal difference in the Eredivisie (both having reached +61), and with two games to spare this season, Ajax’s differential already stands at +81 with PSV trailing them on an equally remarkable +71.

Moreover, Ajax’s goal tally for 2018/19 currently stands at an astonishing 167, which divides into 110 Eredivisie goals, 35 in the Champions League and 21 in the KNVB Beker and is the record across Europe’s top leagues. Only Manchester City’s 159 goal haul comes close. Meanwhile, PSV has netted 113 times which puts them 11th, higher than the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund.

Between the two clubs, and their combined 280 goals, ten players have reached double figures (six for Ajax, four for PSV) with Dusan Tadic’s 34 goals and Luuk De Jong’s 31 being the most for their respective clubs. Prior to this season, Ajax hasn’t had a player surpass 25 goals in all competitions since Luis Suarez in 2009/10. As for PSV, Luuk De Jong’s 32 goal haul in 2015/16 was the only occasion in which one of their players has reached 30 since Mateja Kezman 15 seasons ago.

Dusan Tadic has been a revelation for Ajax this season. (Credit: Reuters)

Last season, however, the comparisons are even more ludicrous. Ajax’s top scorer in all competitions was winger David Neres, who chipped in with 14 of their 105 goals, four of their players have scored more this time around (Tadic, Ziyech, Huntelaar and Van de Beek). For PSV, Hirving Lozano’s 19 was their highest out of a 92 total. That means that this season, both teams have more league goals alone than last season as a whole.

The Mexican remains one of PSV’s key assets this season with 21 goals to his name. (Credit: ESPN)

It is not merely their offensive overpowering of the Eredivisie that has earned them such plaudits for their efforts though, with both sides possessing an abundance of quality all over the field.

From 32 league matches, PSV has conceded just 24 goals (0.75 goals per game), keeping 16 clean sheets in the process to accompany an average of 2.97 goals scored per game. Ajax, on the other hand, has conceded 30 (0.94 goals per game) keeping 15 clean sheets whilst scoring 3.47 goals per game on average. Domination is an understatement.

Speaking of which, the use of any superlatives or synonyms to the highest extent of domination cannot justify their home records this season. Mark Van Bommel’s men have played 16 Eredivisie games at the Philips Stadion this season, winning 15, drawing one, scoring 55 (3.44 gpg) and conceding only six. Out of their 15 home victories, seven of them came by a margin of four or more goals (two 6-0s, a 6-1, a 5-0, and three 4-0s).

Van Bommel is a legend both on and off the pitch in Eindhoven. (Credit: ESPN)

Meanwhile, Ajax has conceded 12 and netted an astounding 66 at the Johan Cruyff Arena this campaign, an average of 4.13 goals each game. From their 16 fixtures on home turf, they are also unbeaten, with two draws and 14 victories, eight of which came by a margin of four or more. Eight also being the margin they dismantled De Graafschap by in December.

Hakim Ziyech (left) and Daley Blind (right) both scored hat-tricks in Ajax’s 8-0 win over De Graafschap.

Ajax will travel to Doetinchem for the reverse fixture with De Graafschap on the final day of the season, with a home fixture with Utrecht three days prior. PSV’s penultimate match comes against fourth-placed AZ Alkmaar before they finish the season off at home to Heracles.

It’s perfectly poised for a chaotic climax to a chaotic season from both perspectives. The stats don’t lie and the pair have been nothing short of world class in almost every game this season. Will Ajax reign as champions of Holland for the first time in half a decade or can PSV claim their fourth title in five years? Nothing is certain at this stage, other than plenty of goals, of course.