PEC Zwolle v FC Groningen

Ten points from a possible twelve is an incredible return from PEC Zwolle. They will need to keep this up if they want to survive though. Daishawn Redan is a striker coming into form; it’s great to see the young Dutch striker properly breaking through now. It was seeming like he wouldn’t make it after all of his early promise in the Chelsea and Netherlands youth teams.

Groningen lost to Fortuna Sittard last weekend, which was a poor defeat – especially at home. Striker Jorgen Strand Larsen had chances, yet couldn’t take them, showing he has potential but he is far from the finished product as a young player. Larsen likes the ball played over the top where he can either use his close control to create a chance with his feet, or a header using his height. PEC Zwolle’s deep five-man defence might stem that tide.

I correctly predicted an over 2.5 goals involving Zwolle last week, but this time I think they’ll have a tighter game with Groningen, who like to defend first. Under 2.5 goals

£30

Free Bets

Get £30 in bet credits when you sign & bet £10.

Claim Offer

T&C’s apply

Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.

Claim Offer

FC Twente v Go Ahead Eagles

FC Twente would have suffered a blow to their confidence in their heavy 5-0 defeat at Ajax. They’ve been flying, but they were totally played off the park by the Dutch giants. They couldn’t get the ball to stick at all up front. Ricky van Wolfswinkel is a poacher and not someone who can help with build-up play.

The focus for Twente is on finishing fourth or fifth, with fourth potentially bringing a Europa Conference League qualifying spot without having to go through the Eredivisie play-offs.

Go Ahead Eagles will be worried that by two week’s time they could be in the bottom three once they’ve faced Twente away and Ajax at home. They defended poorly in some moments agianst AZ that make me think they won’t be able to keep a clean sheet in Enschede either. Iñigo Córdoba and Giannis-Fivos Botos offer their greatest attacking quality, but AZ mostly nullified them on the counter attack.

Whilst Twente shipped five last time out, which may have been more without the impressive Lars Unnerstall in goal, I don’t think Go Ahead will have enough possession to trouble Twente.

Feyenoord v Cambuur

After their thrilling match with PEC Zwolle (where they were on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller), Cambuur now travel to Feyenoord. The hosts will be licking their lips at the prospect of playing the second worst defence in the Eredivisie, who have let in over two goals per game on average. Normally, the Rotterdam side struggle finding the goals against sides that play a defensive back five, but this will feel like a treat for their attacking quartet of Luis Sinisterra, Guus Til, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and Bryan Linssen.

Cambuur have now gone seven without a win in all competitions and I don’t see this match being the place where they get back on track. They are quite open defensively so this does suit the home side. Even though Feyenoord weren’t great at RKC in their 0-2 win, it is likely that Feyenoord score at least two and Cambuur will be a threat too, so over 2.5 goals is likely.

FC Utrecht v Vitesse Arnhem

If Utrecht really harboured ambitions of finishing in the top five this season, they really could have done with following up two good wins with a result away at Heracles. They didn’t, so as it stands they will finish either sixth or seventh this campaign. They’re unlikely to slip any lower. A win over Vitesse, who sit sixth, would see them leapfrog their opponents in the table. Utrecht have some good quality players, but they are just not consistent enough to push for a higher league position.

Vitesse, meanwhile, play only three days after their game with Rapid Vienna. Yet again, they were guilty of some poor defending – going two down in 16 minutes – before a rally in the second half to take only a 2-1 loss back to Arnhem. In the Eredivisie, they have lost four in a row, conceding sixteen times and scoring only once. The league campaign is rather collapsing. Players such as Max Wittek, who have been key for many months this season, look out of inspiration, and defender Jacob Rasmussen looks really out of form.

The goalkeeper problem also persists for manager Thomas Letsch, with Markus Schubert dropped for Jeroen Houwen, but Houwen has also has been making a few big mistakes.
For this Sunday, I don’t see Vitesse turning things around to keep a clean sheet. Utrecht will be hungrier to go for the win, so we’ll see more desire from the home side and I believe goals aplenty – Vitesse might have some belief back from their second half on Thursday

PSV v Heerenveen

Could things get much worse for Heerenveen supporters? Six defeats in a row without scoring any goals, and now they have a trip to PSV. Things could get even worse; the Frisians are now only six points above the bottom three.

New midfielder Thom Haye stood out for the right reasons in their latest loss to NEC. He was busy with six completed tackles, five successful dribbles, and 87% pass completion. Haye is also the set-piece taker, which lessens the loss of Joey Veerman who departed for PSV last month.

As expected, Veerman is not the main man at PSV, instead having to settle for three starts from six games so far. The Eindhoven side looked so much better with Noni Madueke and Eran Zahavi back in the eleven to put five past Vitesse. I think this will be another good win for them, and the excitement of the beginning of the season might start to creep back despite not leading the table now. PSV beat Ajax 0-4 in the JC Schaal back in August and injuries have stalled Roger Schmidt’s men to lose out in the top matches this season and ultimately fall five points behind Ajax.

They dominated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa Conference League in mid-week, but only scored once. An early goal against confidence-ridden Heerenveen could open the floodgates.

18+ please gamble responsibly.

Back the Four and Five Star Selections as a Treble 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 5/2 Eredivisie Best Bets Treble. Here are the two possible outcomes: