PSV have received a timely boost ahead of Saturday evening’s Eredivisie meeting with Willem II, with Ricardo Pepi and Sven Mijnans both expected to return to the squad.

Pepi has recovered from his injury and could be available again, provided he completes Friday’s training session without complications. Mijnans, meanwhile, is back after serving his suspension, giving head coach Peter Bosz two additional options as PSV prepare for their home fixture.

However, Sami Ouaissa remains unavailable for an extended period, with Bosz taking the opportunity to clarify the circumstances surrounding the forward’s latest injury.

The PSV coach insisted that Ouaissa’s current problem is entirely separate from his previous injury and has no connection to the club's medical department or the doctor who oversaw his earlier recovery.

Ouaissa arrived at PSV in September, having been signed alongside Sam Lammers. Both players were expected to integrate into the first-team group after the international break, but their progress has been disrupted by injuries.

Bosz acknowledged his involvement in the decisions to bring both players to Eindhoven and expressed his frustration at the situation.

“I was involved in the decision to sign both him and Sam Lammers, because they are good footballers,” Bosz explained. “The plan was for them to join the group after the international break, but circumstances beyond our control have intervened. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

The manager was particularly sympathetic towards Ouaissa, who had been eager to establish himself before suffering another setback.

“But do you know for whom it’s the absolute worst? For the players themselves. Look at Sami, he was doing so well, he was so eager to shine for us, and then he suffers another injury. It’s just pure bad luck.”

Bosz also drew on his own experience as a player, recalling a serious injury he sustained during a training camp in Toulon. He rejected suggestions that the club doctor should be held responsible for Ouaissa’s latest problem.

“The doctor has a much better perspective on the situation. This has nothing to do with him,” Bosz insisted, as reported by Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad.

Ouaissa is not the only player missing for PSV. Paul Wanner, Adamo Nagalo, Jerdy Schouten, Alassane Pléa and Lammers are also currently unavailable.

Wanner has started individual training but is not yet ready to rejoin the first-team group. Bosz described his injury as a difficult one, although the midfielder is making progress.

“It’s a nasty injury, and recovery is slow, but he’s on the right track. Paul isn’t training with the team yet; I don’t know exactly when that will happen.”

Despite playing at home, Bosz has warned his players against approaching Saturday's fixture with complacency. The PSV manager believes there are no straightforward matches in the Eredivisie and wants his team to maintain the mentality that helped them overcome a nine-point deficit in five matches last season.

“We need to play with the same mentality we had last year, as if we were trailing badly with only a few games left to go,” he said.

“Back then, we made up a nine-point gap over the course of five matches. It’s still very early in the season now, and while we’re playing well, our end product, our actual output, needs to improve.”

Bosz also expressed sympathy for Willem II coach John Stegeman, who was placed on non-active status after the club's difficult start to the campaign. The PSV manager confirmed that he had contacted his colleague and questioned the tendency to place responsibility for poor results entirely on head coaches.

Another subject addressed by Bosz was PSV's recent reliance on Guus Til for goals. The midfielder, who has increasingly featured in an advanced role, has scored five of the team's last seven goals.

Bosz was not surprised by Til's contribution, pointing to the player's established goalscoring ability.

“The latter comes as no surprise; we know Guus is capable of that,” he said.

The PSV manager also believes his side are creating a strong foundation through their performances, even if their finishing needs to improve.

“We have plenty of goal-scoring potential, and the football we’re playing is good, arguably even better than during the period when we played FC Utrecht and FC Groningen.”

PSV will now look to turn that positive football into greater attacking output against Willem II, with Pepi and Mijnans potentially providing Bosz with a welcome boost