NEC Nijmegen v Feyenoord

Many of the games in the Eredivisie are showing just how much the fans are missing. NEC are no different, having had the stadium collapse then fresh Covid restrictions. Rogier Meijer’s men continue to be solid defensively, which they will rely upon for the visit of Feyenoord.

Arne Slot’s men have dropped points against four teams this season who play a back five. And guess what? NEC play with a five-man defence too and were one of the sides Feyenoord failed to break down earlier this season in De Kuip.

Slot seems confident that his side are making progress though: “In general, there has been the greatest improvement in our attacking game: especially in the final phase. The quick combination, the right choices, the timing of the runs, and so on. That part is the hardest part about football, to get that done.”

I think NEC will frustrate their illustrious visitors; Feyenoord may find it hard to bounce back from a second shock defeat this season to Vitesse, which harmed their title chances. Ultimately, I think NEC will struggle to create many openings and Feyenoord will find a way, but there will be very few goals.

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PSV v Ajax

The big tie of this Eredivisie match week. PSV hold the slim advantage at the top of the Eredivisie. The ‘six-pointer’ is a huge game for coach Roger Schmidt to manage. His record against top sides is appalling; the reason why his PSV side sit top is because of a glut of late goals against mid-table opposition that have ensured they rarely ever slip up.

A draw suits PSV better, but Ajax will travel to Eindhoven with an intention of winning, rather than keeping it tight. The difference, for me, is that Ajax have been defensively so resolute, and have so much threat from wide play, that PSV would have to pull out one excellent performance to get a positive result.

PSV will no doubt take influence from Feyenoord’s recent game with Ajax. Though the Rotterdam side lost, they played a very high line and pressed Ajax at the earliest opportunities whenever they had the ball. That restricted them to the only shots on target being the goals they scored to win. PSV will hope to be more ruthless in the penalty area than Feyenoord too, but they will take comfort that you certainly can make chances against the current champions. I have gone for under 3.5 goals because I don’t see either side romping to victory, with a tight first half. If either side gains the lead, you can be sure of a reaction from the other going late into the game.

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Heracles Almelo v Go Ahead Eagles

Controversially, Rai Vloet returned for Heracles last weekend (whilst being embroiled in a drink-drive court case), but he has now been cast aside again by the Heracles management. That is the Almelo side’s biggest goal threat now ruled out again.

Go Ahead Eagles have only scored twice in their previous eight league games, so this game will most likely be low on quality and chances. Maybe the bubble has burst for the Eagles since their promotion. I still think they’ll be safe from relegation, but some tough times may lay ahead.

They could do with an extra attacking option before the transfer window closes. Despite sitting lower in mid-table, Heracles have a decent home record of 17 points from 10 games. It is what is keeping them out of trouble as it stands. Whilst there are no fans, the astroturf pitch – one of only two sides (with Cambuur) to have the artifical surface – may be playing a part.

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Sparta Rotterdam v FC Utrecht

Adrián Dalmau scored on his Sparta debut last weekend, and he is set to face up against his former team in only his second appearance since leaving Utrecht this month. With Utrecht on the slide down the table, Dalmau will be keen to rub salt into the wounds of his ex-employers given how much time he had to spend on the bench.

I couldn’t believe Utrecht were so awful against Ajax. I expected to see a reaction, but perhaps their lack of preparation before returning from the Winter break showed – two games were cancelled due to Covid outbreaks. In the three-goal defeat, there was no protection from midfielders to track the Ajax runners, and their only attacking joy came from knocking the ball long to Greek striker Anastasios Douvikas to chase.

Utrecht will face a more tightly packed Sparta defence on Sunday. In addition to Dalmau, Younes Namli was a good loan addition this month to the Sparta midfield as they look to claw their way out of the Eredivisie bottom three. I am backing Henk Fraser’s side to continue their positive point at Cambuur with another good result here, backing both teams to score in a tight game. Sparta will see this as a golden opportunity for three points, but I don’t think struggling Utrecht will be beaten as easily as they were last weekend

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RKC Waalwijk v Fortuna Sittard

This is a key relegation-fight game as RKC know that avoiding defeat keeps them ticking along nicely above the relegation zone, whilst Fortuna are now entering a run of winnable games.

The Sittard side showed lots of quality and fight against AZ on Sunday, and they were unfortunate not to come away with at least a point. Mats Seuntjens looked particularly dangerous but missed a big opportunity near the end in a 1-2 loss.

Because RKC are fourteenth and surrounded by the likes of struggling Groningen, Willem II and Sparta, you would think they can be easily beaten. In fact, they have only lost by more than one goal on two occasions this season: Ajax and PSV. They continue to run opponents close and graft points with experienced players like Alexander Buttner, Michiel Kramer and Vurnon Anita amongst their ranks. Fortuna have more craft, but RKC have the pragmatism. I believe Fortuna will show more improvement. They are playing far better than their lowly position suggests and a result on Sunday evening seems likely.

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