Emmen are down in 9th position and have largely underachieved this season. They got back on track last week with a 2-0 win away to Jong Ajax and it’s imperative that they don’t slip up again here in their pursuit of the playoffs.

Conceding goals has been a big problem with just two clean sheets since 25th November. Eight of their last 11 games have gone over 2.5 goals and this looks to be a good bet once again. They are facing one of the worst defences in the league and are a clear favourite at odds of 1.33 to win. Emmen could cover a 2.5 goal line all on their own.

Jong Utrecht are one of the worst teams in the Eerste Divisie. They are second bottom of the table, but would be right at the foot of the standings were it not for Vitesse’s huge points deduction. Jong Utrecht have only won three league games all season which shows how poor they are. Six defeats in their last eight games and 22 goals conceded during that period suggests they are still having major issues at the back.

Their terrible defence alone, which has conceded an astronomical 62 goals this season means they are ripe for a big beating most weeks. They simply have to score goals themselves to stand any chance of getting a result so over 2.5 goals looks like a strong overall bet.

Helmond have only kept one clean sheet since 20th September which kind of sums up their whole season. They have constantly had to rely on their attack force to help get them points. This could be a match where they have more chance of keeping things tighter due to the standard of opposition, but it also means at the other end Helmond could rack up a few goals themselves. They lost 2-3 away to Roda last week with striker Anthony van den Hurk grabbing a brace of goals. He also scored twice in the recent 4-0 win v Maastricht, so has found some form.

Jong PSV are in terrible form and might be playing the worst football on the field of any team right now in this division. They have lost eight of their last nine games and conceded 23 goals in this period which obviously doesn’t bode well. Since 25th October, the only wins that Jong PSV have obtained were against Jong AZ and rock bottom Vitesse. This looks like a team ready for the season to end already.

The only real question appears to be how big the margin of defeat will be each week. They have at least scored in seven straight games which gives some hope, as well as ending their losing run by drawing 2-2 v Oss last week. But everything points towards over 2.5 goals in any game they play right now and Helmond should win something like 2-1 or 3-1.

Three straight defeats look to have ended any playoff hopes that Maastricht had. They are now rooted into midtable mediocrity after getting easily beaten 4-0 by Helmond last week. They can now just enjoy themselves for the rest of the season and this looks like a nice relaxing type of fixture facing a Jong AZ team who are quite attacking.

The pressure should be off both teams here and they might as well push hard for the victory. The outright result is hard to predict but over 2.5 goals looks likely, especially with Maastricht conceding 9 goals in their last three games.

Jong AZ are known for being involved in high scoring contests. Of their 29 league games, 21 have gone over 2.5 and their matches average 3.70 goals per game. Their last 5 results read 3-3, 1-5, 1-2, 5-1 and 3-0. Jong AZ have scored at least one goal in all of their last nine games and usually play on the front foot looking to entertain and outscore the opposition.

This is a difficult team to predict and they could be a surprisingly decent underdog here. They stunned Den Haag with a recent midweek 3-0 away win at odds of 6/1. Maybe it might be asking too much of them to win again but they have goals in them and over 2.5 looks to have a great chance of landing.

The hosts are still rock bottom of the Eerste Divisie table but have moved up to eight points after a 2-01 away win at Jong Utrecht last week. Vitesse were hit with a massive -27 point deduction this season so have been playing for pride alone for quite a while. Their overall form is not too bad with five wins in their last 7 games so playing with no pressure and freedom has been a positive factor for the club.

Their recent trends are mixed but a 3-3 draw away to FC Eindhoven recently shows they are capable of being involved in shootouts. Their defence has conceded a league-high 63 goals this season. Vitesse are a 2.80 underdog to win and are not without a chance here. They’d love to beat a big team like Den Haag.

Den Haag were rocked by a shock midweek loss at home to Jong AZ (0-3). They were a 1.36 favourite to win that game so it was a big surprise. Prior to that, they won seven straight games including against the likes of Volendam, De Graafschap and Den Bosch. In total, they’ve won ten of their last 12 league fixtures and must still be considered a major promotion contender.

They’ve scored at least two goals in six of their last ten matches and are clearly packing a lot of confidence and plenty of firepower. They’ll be desperate to rebound against the rock-bottom side in the table and the pressure to win could lead to an open game.