VVV v Jong PSV

VVV’s season has been disappointing so far. They were expected to contend for the end of season playoffs, finishing in the Top 8 or so, but they are currently in 11^th place in the Eerste Divisie, ready to face off against Jong PSV who are one position above them. VVV have been struggling and manager Jos Luhukay is under some fierce pressure to perform.

This happened last Sunday though, as VVV booked a good 2-1 win away over De Graafschap. New signing Nick Venema was one of the scorers and he should be securing goals consistently for the remainder of the season. Erik Sorga has left the club, moving on to IFK Göteborg. Both Mitchell van Rooijen (midfield) and Sven Braken (forward) lead the club in scoring with 4 goals, but are doubtful.

Jong PSV meanwhile absolutely battered Almere City, winning 5-1 with a batch of very young talent with four players making their league debuts. Jong PSV have been hampered by injuries and Covid protocols, but still managed to impress and book a comfortable win. Almere City are second bottom though, so expect more from VVV especially on their home ground. Surprisingly, VVV have hosted Jong PSV four times historically in the league and have lost all four games, allowing 2 goals every time. Despite the past experience, and VVV losing four of their last five home games, a turnaround could very much be on the cards here. Four of Jong PSV’s last five games involved at least three goals or more, the same for VVV’s last four matches played.

Jong PSV Eindhoven are missing several players, including: Emmanuel Matuta, Jenson Seelt, Jeremy Antonisse, Emmanuel van de Blaak, Vincent Müller, Fredrik Oppegard and Fodé Fofana.

---

Emmen v Helmond

FC Emmen are amongst the favourites to win the league. They are slightly behind on this ambition, as they sit in third place, trailing league leaders Volendam by six points, but they have been consistently looking stable. Emmen have won four of their last five league games. The only issue is their 32 goals scored in 21 league games, and just 8 goals from their last six league games. Top goalscorer Jeredy Hilterman is injured, so they might continue booking low score wins. Jasin Assehnoun and Rui Mendes are ready to play though and the wingers/inside forwards have combined for 11 goals.

Helmond have scored a league low 19 goals in their 21 games played and have failed to score or scored only exactly one goal in all their last 9 league games played. Emmen also currently lead the third period. Even though they are just two games in, a third win would set them up rather well – so they will be fancying their chances.

Furthermore Emmen have won four straight home games, and shut out their opponents in five out of the last six home games played. Helmond may be without Jarno Lion, Jules Houttequiet, Jelle Goselink and Maxime De Bie. All four are considered starting players.

---

FC Eindhoven v Jong Utrecht

FC Eindhoven face off against the Jong Utrecht squad. Both sides have looked reasonable the past weekend, but Jong Utrecht will most likely be inconsistent as they shift changes into their line-up. The side have lost just over half their league games this season, losing 11 of 21. FC Eindhoven meanwhile are in a reasonable 8^th position, booking 9 wins. Jong Utrecht have lost two straight, failing to score. This could remain a problem as they lack strikers. Remco Balk could perhaps be a player to produce the goods, but any good appearance could see him switch to the first team. Rayan El Azrak and Mohammed Mallahi are now joint top scorers with just 2 goals scored.

FC Eindhoven meanwhile have also scored just twice in their past two league games played, booking three straight draws. Moreover, FC Eindhoven have scored only three goals in their past six games. They hammered Jong Utrecht in November though, winning 6-0 away from home. FC Eindhoven generally seem to have two players capable of scoring, as Joey Sleegers has scored 9 and Jort van de Sande has scored 8. Both players featured against NAC as well, and with Sleegers a proven set-piece specialist is a potential threat against any side.

Jong Utrecht have allowed goals against in every single game they played since September 17^th, marking 14 consecutive games.

In squad news, Jong Utrecht have promoted their own first goalkeeper to the main squad, meaning Kevin Gaddellaa will likely be in goal. He proved himself to be talented, but erratic so far. Fabian de Keijzer would be a better stalwart, but he will get the nod in the first team.

---

Almere City v Roda JC

Almere City went from promotion contenders last season, finishing fourth and missing out on promotion by two points – to being second bottom currently. Gertjan Verbeek has recently been sacked and Alex Pastoor has taken over before the previous match round only to suffer an embarrassing 5-1 defeat against Jong PSV in Eindhoven.

Almere City have won just one out of their last eight and it seems very unlikely that they will have a memorable season still.  I do believe they are underperforming, and I see Pastoor get more out of his players because the overall squad should not be too bad. I do feel it’s too soon to enable a turnaround against an in-form Roda, who have lost just once in their last nine league games played. Roda have won three and drawn three of their last six.

Roda also beat rivals MVV 1-0 last week, and have a full and match fit squad available. They will rely on in-form midfielder Xian Emmers and winger Patrick Pflücke who have combined for 15 goals. Striker Dylan Vente is also on 7 goals. I expect Roda to book another win, and increase the misery on Almere City. It’s worth noting that Almere City have allowed a total of 48 goals against, which is the second worst in the league, with only FC Dordrecht allowing more (50). Roda have booked nine league wins, and they scored twice or more on eight occasions. Only the game hosting MVV saw them score just once.

---

ADO Den Haag v TOP Oss

Relegated ADO Den Haag face off against TOP Oss in a game that the home side should be dominating and winning. ADO Den Haag come out of the winter break well rested. They were scheduled to face off against Excelsior last week, but this match has been postponed because Excelsior had too many Covid-19 cases. TOP Oss were scheduled to face off against Jong AZ Alkmaar but their match was also postponed due to the same reason, with (Jong) AZ Alkmaar also having many cases.

Both today’s teams should be OK in that area though as there have not been m/any reports.

ADO Den Haag are sixth in the rankings, but if we remove the 6 point deduction they have been given by the Dutch FA, they are actually currently second and have won 70% of their league games. They have won seven matches straight and have scored 23 goals during their wins. TOP Oss have won just once in their last sixteen league games, however their most recent game was a surprise 3-2 away win over VVV Venlo, after drawing three straight just before.

Thomas Verheydt is also in excellent form, the ADO striker has scored 7 games in a row, netting 9 goals and 16 in the league in total. TOP Oss will have to face off without Sékou Sylla, who has earned himself a move to Cambuur. Richonell Margaret, Justin Mathieu and Lorenzo Piqué are doubtful, as are Trevor David and Hüseyin Dogan.

---

---

18+ please gamble responsibly.

---

Back the Four and Five Star Selections as an Accumulator on Betfair ⬇️

*Bet link only appears when accessing from mobile.

---

Haven’t got a Betfair account? You’re in luck…

Sign up to Betfair and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £20 on the 16/1 Eerste Best Bets Accumulator. Here are the two possible outcomes: