EREDIVISIE WEEK 1: SATURDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS |

Week one in the Eredivisie continues with four cracking games on Saturday, Will Burns is back with some recommended bets, good luck.

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST

HEERENVEEN vs. FC DORDRECHT (17:30 BST)

FC Dordrecht return to the Eredivisie after 19 years, their last top-flight visit to Saturday’s opponents Heerenveen ended in a 1-1 draw, a result which the league newcomers would welcome in the opening week of fixtures.

Leading Dordrecht into the new campaign is Ernie Brandts, who competed in the 1978 World Cup final for Holland. The 58-year-old is a winner and likes to play attacking football, however this make work against him if he heads into the Abe Lenstra Stadion with that game plan. Heerenveen coach Dwight Lodeweges has a fast attack at his disposal, with the speed of Daley Sinkgraven, Hakim Ziyech and Luciano Slagveer sitting behind new striker Martin Dalgaard, this may be too much for Brandts’ men.

Six-foot two-inch Danish striker Dalgaard has the complicated task of filling the boots of Heerenveen’s all time top scorer Alfred Finnbogason who after two successful years left De Superfriezen to join La Liga side Real Sociedad in the summer. Dalgaard has the credentials with great scoring record of his own, notching 50 times in 75 appearances for Danish Superligaen side Viborg FF over the last two campaigns. Although, he will be tussling with Mark Uth for a starting spot on Saturday, with Uth returning from a season on-loan to Heracles.

Heerenveen are heavy favourites in this game and rightly so. I feel the hosts will be too much for the Eredivisie new boys but Bet Victor’s price of 1/2 is very short to get any value. I recommend looking at Heerenveen -1 which means the home side need to win by two clear goals to land the bet.

BEST BET: Heerenveen -1 (11/10 – Bet Victor)

NAC BREDA vs. EXCELSIOR (18:45 BST)

In a potential relegation match-up already on day one of the Eredivisie, NAC Breda play host to another newcomer Excelsior.

Breda just scraped through the relegation battle last year as Serbian coach Nebojsa Gudelj failed to find a win in NAC’s last 11 matches of the season. Excelsior finished third in Eerste Divisie last year and their squad does not look as strong as did, mainly after the loss of 30-goal striker Lars Veldwijk to Nottingham Forest.

NAC do seem to have a real talent on their hands with Kingsley Boateng. The 20-year-old Ghanaian winger is being tipped to be one of the stars of the Eredivisie this season, and we might see a glimpse of that on Saturday against one of the only underdog opponents that Breda may face this season. Signed on a free from AC Milan, Boateng has already made waves with the NAC fans scoring four goals in three pre-season outings.

I feel this will be a low scoring affair with NAC maybe coming out 1-0 winners (available at 17/2 with Bet Victor) but once again, with it being the opening day and game neither will see they can afford to lose, our best bet and safest is in the Both Teams To Score market. Selecting No gives you a decent price of 11/10 and I recommend this in case Excelsior shut out NAC.

BEST BET: Both Teams to Score – NO (11/10 – Bet Victor)

SC CAMBUUR vs. FC TWENTE (18:45 BST)

FC Twente travel to Cambuur with new signing Kamohelo Mokotjo in tow but without two stars from last year, Quincy Promes and Dušan Tadić, who were sold on in the summer. Cambuur themselves have gone under major chance over the last few months with coach Henk de Jong boasting 11 new bodies in his squad.

Losing Promes and Tadić could hit Twente hard but coach Alfred Schreuder has replaced well bringing in Mokotjo from PEC Zwolle and importing highly-rated Dane Kasper Kusk from Aalborg. Both will give attacking support to lone striker Luc Castaignos. Hopes are high this year and they will look to get off to a good start with a win away in Leeuwarden. Youness Mokhtar, former team-mate of Mokotjo at Zwolle, which also be on hand to support but Felipe Gutiérrez and Shadrach Eghan are ruled out with injuries.

Cambuur may have brought in eleven new faces however, they do not look as sturdy as last term. Defender Ramon Leeuwin left for Utrecht and impressive loanees Elvis Manu (Feyenoord), Jody Lukoki (Ajax, but now signed for Zwolle) and Marcel Ritzmaier (PSV) have not returned. Replacements include young loanees midfielder Albert Rusnak from Manchester City and Delan Meleg from Ajax.

Twente should blow Cambuur away but the Cambuurstadion is a raucous arena that can get to the opposition. I see a narrow win for Twente but not without some scares. Twente to win with Both Teams To Score is a massive 12/5 at Bet Victor.

BEST BET: Twente to win with Both Teams To Score (12/5 – Bet Victor)

HERACLES vs. AZ ALKMAAR (19:45 BST)

Marco van Basten has returned to Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar after leaving Heerenveen at the end of the season as he takes the Cheese Farmers to Almelo to face Heracles.

AZ have slight changes from last season’s team that finished 8th last year in the league. They will miss striker Roy Beerens after he moved to Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, as well as scoring five times last year he also managed five assists. The club are hoping that his loss will be covered by the arrival of the dynamic Guus Hupperts from relegated Roda JC. The golden-haired youngster scored nine goals from right-wing and if he can replicate that form at AZ then he should help propel them higher this season.

Heracles’ success will feature heavily with the performances of Bryan Linssen. A very direct, pacy and technically gifted wide midfielder, Linssen was the Almelo side’s top scorer last season with 11 goals. Now that Mark Uth has returned to parent club Heerenveen, Linssen will have to develop a quick understanding with the likes of new signing Mark-Jan Fledderus from Roda for Heracles to get off to a good start.

Unfortunately for Henk de Jong’s men I see AZ being too strong as they always seem to Heracles’ number. AZ are undefeated in nine of their last ten matches against Heracles in all competitions and I see that run continuing in Saturday’s late game. AZ to win is 17/10 at Bet Victor and the price is very tempting to have a punt on it.

BEST BET: AZ to win (17/10 – Bet Victor)