All posts by Will Burns

BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE Week 3 Betting Tips

August 20, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

This article is produced in association with

After an eventful two rounds of the Eredivisie so far, Will Burns returns after a week off with his thoughts on two of this Sunday’s Eredivisie games. The very best of luck if you are betting!

Sunday 21st August 2016 – 13:30BST

FC UTRECHT v AZ ALKMAAR

This game promises one thing at least in my eyes… Goals!

Erik ten Hag is still searching for his first win as Utrecht manager this season and the transfers this week has not helped his cause as one of their players of the season, Bart Ramselaar left for defending champions PSV. AZ Alkmaar had a difficult trip to Serbia on Thursday night in the Europa League qualifier, but came out on top 3-0 winners over Vojvodina, so they may be a tad lacklustre in Sunday’s game.

I am unsure of who could come out on top but I feel both sides have goals in them. Striker Sebastien Haller has been linked with a move to England and Newcastle United this week and his very capable of beating his 19 goals that he notched in the Eredivisie last season. He bagged a goal in the opening day 2-1 home defeat to PSV while converting a penalty last weekend in a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen.

AZ has also experienced near similar results, a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen on the opening day, while they were defeated in a narrow 1-0 win away to PSV. Markus Henriksen, Wout Weghorst and Fred Friday will be the players to watch and Stijn Wuytens, a defensive midfielder, bagged a brace away in Serbia midweek. They are goals all over the pitch for AZ and Over 2.5 with Both Teams to Score market at Bet365 is worth a two point punt at 18/25.

TIP: Over 2.5 Goals with Both Teams to Score (2PT placed on 1.72 at Bet365)

Sunday 21st August 2016 – 15:45BST

HERACLES v FEYENOORD

My pick as an outside bet the league this season was Feyenoord, and so far they are proving me right and have started the season well under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The opening game was a 5-0 away thrashing of FC Groningen followed by a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to the troubled FC Twente.

Heracles are also undefeated in the first two outings, a 1-1 draw away to newly promoted Roda JC before last weeks confident 3-1 win over Willem II. John Stegeman has kept the majority of the side that finished 14th last year with Iliass Bel Hassani his main star that could aggravate Feyenoord’s defence.

However, I cannot look past Feyenoord winning this game and comfortably. The Rotterdammers looked far too strong for Groningen and Twente and I see Stegeman’s side suffering the same fate. New signing Danish winger Nicolai Jorgensen has been selected as a false nine by Van Bronckhorst and has found the net in both games. Dirk Kuyt, Jens Toornstra, Tonny Vilhena and Eljero Elia will all start with him in a five man strong attack which will prove to be too much for the Heracles defence.

TIP: Feyenoord to win (2PT placed on 1.72 at Bet365)

In addition to these tips keep an eye on Get Bet Smart’s Twitter account for their #SocialMediaExclusive tips including the very successful #DutchDouble.

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 2

August 17, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

Here is round two of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our 2016/17 Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition. All players have performed so well this weekend that Will Burns has selected them in the team of the week. Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

GOALKEEPER

ERNESTAS SETKUS – ADO DEN HAAG: ADO’s new stopper denied Vitesse time and time again in his side’s 2-1 away win on Saturday.

DEFENDERS

MICHEL BREUER – SPARTA ROTTERDAM: The 35 year old led well from the back and his performance was imperative in Sparta’s emphatic 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle.

RON VLAAR – AZ ALKMAAR: PSV could have destroyed his side if it was not for Vlaar’s determination and communication at the back.

HECTOR MORENO – PSV: Not only did he hold the PSV defence together he notched the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win.

JURGEN MATTHEIJ – EXCELSIOR: A surprise to be making the team of the week but scored against the poor Groningen side and held strong against anything they could throw at him.

MIDFIELDERS

LORIS BROGNO – SPARTA ROTTERDAM: Claimed a brace in the unlikely 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle.

JENS TOORNSTRA – FEYENOORD: The midfielder bagged a goal and ran the show for the Feyenoord attacks in their 2-0 win over Twente.

ANDRES GUARDADO – PSV: The Mexican ran the show and his creativity should have produced more goals for PSV in their 1-0 win against AZ.

ATTACKERS

KASPER DOLBERG – AJAX: The 18 year old Dane that does not play like a teenager. Notched twice against Roda but his teammates let him down in the 2-2 draw – PLAYER OF THE WEEK.

KEVIN MAYI – NEC: The French striker scores a goal on his home debut that clinched a vital point in the 2-2 draw.

CRAIG GOODWIN – SPARTA ROTTERDAM: Excellent performance capped off with a goal for the new Sparta man.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REPORT

Russians frustrate Ajax Euro ambitions

August 17, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

Another strike by inspirational skipper, Davy Klaassen wasn’t quite enough for Ajax who endured another night of frustration in European club competition as Russian under dogs, Rostov moved into the second leg their UEFA Champions League Playoff with the Dutch giants holding a slight advantage off the back of an early away goal by Ecuadorian international, Christian Noboa reports Steven Davies.

TUESDAY 16TH AUGUST 2016

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – QUALIFYING PLAYOFF – FIRST LEG

AJAX 1-1 FC ROSTOV

Following the disappointment of dropping two points in the dying moments of Saturday’s visit of Roda, Ajax coach, Peter Bosz shuffled his pack ahead of the visit the Russian outfit – giving Chelsea loanee, Bertrand Traore his first start for de Godenzonen while also drafting in German wide man, Amin Younes along with Dutch international, Joel Veltman with Saturday’s two-goal hero, Kasper Dolberg, Kenny Tete and Daley Sinkgraven making way.

In spite of having four European Cup triumphs to their name, Ajax came into the tie in the unusual position of having never managed to best Russian opposition in any European club competition and, in spite of having the majority of the ball throughout the contest, the Amsterdammers found chances hard to come by with the Rostov back five keeping time and space for the attacking trio of El Ghazi, Traore and Younes to a minimum.

Despite their surprising victory over Anderlecht two weeks ago having secured some form of European group stage football for the first time in the club’s history and having finished as runners up in last season’s RFPL standings, Rostov came into the tie at the Amsterdam ArenA in chequered form with just four points from their opening three league games. The visitors also arrived in the Netherlands in the midst of a period of transition under the caretaker charge of former Rostov and Russian international striker, Dmitri Kirichenko – who took up the coaching reins following the departure of the Spartak Moscow-bound, Kurban Berdyev.

However, it was the Russians who, against the run of play, took the lead with their first meaningful attempt on goal through a Christian Noboa free kick from just outside the area – the curling effort wrong-footing Ajax ‘keeper, Jasper Cillessen.

As the half wore on, Ajax’s wide men gradually found more space in which to work and Anwar El Ghazi in particular carved out a number of tantalising crosses that his colleagues were frustratingly unable to capitalise upon – the Dutchman continuously terrorising Rostov’s left wing-back, Denis Terentjev throughout the match.

Yet it took until the half hour mark for Ajax’s first real clean cut opportunity to materialise – Burkina Faso international, Traore having slipped free of the shackles of his marker, dropped the shoulder and burned two defenders before seeing his shot saved by Soslan Dzhanaev’s legs – Rostov’s star man also parrying the follow up from Younes just seconds later.

Then, with 37 minutes having elapsed and the home side in firm control, Younes squared the ball across the area for Bazoer whose shot was handled by Rostov centre half, Cesar Navas, leaving the referee little option but to point to the spot – Davy Klaassen, the hero of Thessaloniki, converting the spot kick with little fuss for his fourth goal of the season in all competitions.

Having notched 14 efforts on goal in the first half alone, the home side began the second stanza where they had ended the first – on the front foot with Traore forcing Dzhanaev into a spectacular point blank save from a header after latching on to another dangerous El Ghazi cross on 54 minutes, while Nemanja Gudelj also worked the Rostov glovesman with a long range effort which Dzhanaev did well to tip over the bar in the 68^th minute.

Yet, the home side found their Russian counterparts in resolute mood with chances few and far between in the second period despite the home side monopolizing over 70% of the ball throughout the course of the encounter, leaving Ajax coach, Peter Bosz with more questions than answers ahead of next week’s second leg in Rostov-on-Don.

Man of the Match: Anwar El Ghazi

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW, EUROPEAN SCOUTING REPORT

EUROPEAN SCOUTING REPORT: FC Rostov

August 15, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

Russian Football News‘s Martin Lowe is here to tell all Ajax’s fans what to expect from Rostov this Tuesday night.

Rostov’s victory in Brussels two weeks ago over Anderlecht ensured European group stage football for the first time in the club’s history, with a tantalising caveat of an opportunity that it could be in the Champions League rather than the Europa League many predicted if they prove successful in the playoff round. While some hoped for a glamour tie against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the end result could prove the most fruitful in their hopes of progression after being paired with a below-par Ajax side, who’ve been going through a recent rough patch.

Since that high point at the beginning of August however, nothing has gone straight forward for last season’s RFPL surprise package. Days after their historic victory, influential coach Kurban Berdyev quit his role in the dugout, a decision that had been coming for the past 6 months after disputes with the club’s hierarchy, but nonetheless is a hammer blow to the club’s immediate future. This was followed by a substandard home season opener against Ural, which ended goalless, before defeat this weekend just gone away in St. Petersburg to Zenit, where they let go an early 2-0 lead.

Worries going forward concern further exits, with a number of the “Berdyev contingent” set to jump ship to join their coach at his new club Spartak Moscow. Rostov’s player of the night in Brussels Sardar Azmoun alongside Ecuadorian midfielder Christan Noboa, who made similar moves alongside Berdyev from Rubin to Rostov in the last two years are muted to be treading the same path of their Turkmenistani mentor once again.

To say Rostov are a side in transition would be an understatement, given that we’re only three games into the domestic season makes the situation ever more unstable. Former Rostov and national team striker Dmitri Kirichenko has taken over initially in the dugout while the Selmashi consider a full time appointment. A money spinning passage through to the Champions League group stages will do his case of taking over on a permanent basis the world of good. Or at least we thought so. Monday afternoon, Rostov announced that they had brought back Berdyev as an consultant, meaning he’s likely to be on the sideline when the game kicks off.

TACTICS

Aside to the pressure domestically which comes with such a lofty finish last season, Rostov’s cautious tactics have and will work wonders in Europe, where they will again be considered underdogs. Again they’ll aim to soak up possession before looking to hit the opposition on the counter attack, an approach that was fully utilised this weekend in their second goal against Zenit.

KEY PLAYERS

Sardar Azmoun – The star man across their qualifying round with Anderlecht, especially in Brussels where he led the line brilliantly on the counter, is a pivotal figure once again but question marks continue to swirl around his future. While interest from Western Europe has cooled for the moment, after his red card against Ural and his subsequent suspension, Berdyev’s exit has generated murmurs that the Iranian striker will follow him to Moscow.

If Azmoun is unfavoured, or sold on in the meantime, Denis Poloz has proved he can comfortably fill in, as he did this last weekend netting an early brace in the capital.

Cesar Navas – Another player loyal to Berdyev in the past, the Spaniard is a key figure in the centre of Rostov’s three man defence. His European pedigree picked up while playing with Rubin Kazan will prove invaluable once more, given the lack of experience in the squad and now dugout.

PREDICTION

Heading to Amsterdam for the first leg, it’ll be a much tougher ask for Rostov than it was two weeks ago given the changing landscape at the club. What they do have in their favour however is an opposition out of form and the knowledge they have the home leg still to come.

It won’t be a surprise to see Rostov surrender a large portion of possession to the Dutch side, but if they can keep the deficit down, and look for an away goal on the counter, they’ll be more than confident returning home for the second leg.

Prediction: Ajax 2-1 Rostov

MARTIN LOWE

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TotalDutchFootball.com

EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: Week Two

August 15, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

As always, Steven Davies is on hand to inform you of all the action in Week two of the Eredivisie.

Week two of the 2016/17 Eredivisie season got underway on Friday night at the Abe Lenstra Stadion where, for the second week in succession, Jurgen Streppel’s Heerenveen came from behind to share the spoils in a four-goal affair.

In contrast to Streppel’s delight, his opposite number, FC Utrecht coach, Erik ten Hag, was left feeling short-changed, not only by the controversial manner in which the home side squared the score-line – a goalmouth scramble (which could just as easily have resulted in a free kick to the visiting side) following a Heerenveen corner which was finished by Iranian international, Reza Ghoochannejhad in the 69^th minute, but also the fact that ten Hag’s men had, for the second week in succession, put in a performance worthy of much more than the single point his side ultimately left Friesland with following two quick-fire goals in three minutes just after the half hour mark – a Sebastien Haller penalty followed by a Bart Ramselaar cracker from well outside the area that had initially overturned Luciano Slagveer’s 12^th minute opener for the home side.

Despite being just two weeks into the 2016/17 campaign, things are rapidly reaching crisis proportions in Groningen after Ernest Faber’s men followed up last week’s humiliating pounding at the hands of Feyenoord by slipping to an embarrassing defeat to Feyenoord’s Rotterdam neighbours, Excelsior in the early evening fixture on Saturday.

By sharp contrast, new Excelsior coach, Mitchell van der Gaag has enjoyed a perfect start with two wins on the bounce. A glancing header from 23-year-old central defender, Jurgen Mattheij after just two minutes had elapsed at the Stadion Woudestein followed by an incredible David Beckham-esque, Kevin Vermeulen lob from inside his own half of the field just seconds after Groningen ‘keeper Sergio Padt had rattled the Excelsior post with a header after coming up for a last-gasp free kick in the second minute of stoppage time secured the points for the tiny Rotterdam outfit and left Groningen at the bottom of the early season standings.

Mitchell van der Gaag wasn’t the only coach celebrating an unlikely six-point haul from his side’s opening two fixtures of the season after Zeljko Petrovic guided ADO Den Haag to an unlikely victory over Vitesse Arnhem at the GelreDome.

Things had started well for Henk Fraser’s side – Ricky van Wolfswinkel putting the Arnhem outfit in the ascendancy after 22 minutes, but ADO were back on level terms just after the half hour through Gervane Kastaneer who struck again just after the hour mark to secure all three points for the men from The Hague.

The surprising results continued at the Amsterdam ArenA on Saturday evening. With the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff against Russian club, Rostov on the horizon on Tuesday evening, Ajax coach, Peter Bosz surprisingly elected against shuffling his pack for the visit of Roda JC. A Kasper Dolberg brace either side of an Adil Auassar effort should have been enough to see de Godenzonen past the plucky Kerkrade outfit. However, a Tom van Hyfte equaliser deep into stoppage time salvaged a point for the visitors despite Frederic Ananou seeing red for Yannis Anastasiou’s men after picking up his second yellow card of the match with seconds remaining on the clock.

Saturday’s Eredivisie action concluded at the MAC3PARK Stadion in Zwolle where the home side were incredibly hit for three without reply by newly promoted Sparta. A well taken goal from Loris Brogno following a deft back-heel from Stijn Spierings and Aussie forward, Craig Goodwin’s deflected effort either side of the half time interval set the visitors on their way to victory with Brogno adding a touch of the emphatic to the score line for the reigning Eerste Divisie champions with three minutes to go.

Heracles easily dispatched a woeful Willem II in Almelo in Sunday’s early fixture – racing out to a three goal lead through an Iliass Bel Hassani freekick after 26 minutes followed by a Paul Gladon double after the interval. Erik Falkenburg’s spectacular lob of Heracles ‘keeper, Bram Castro may well prove to be a strong contender for Goal of the Week in the Eredivisie but, with just 8 minutes left on the clock, it proved too little too late for Erwin van de Looi’s men who have now conceded an alarming seven goals in their opening two matches of 2016/17.

Two teams seemingly moving in polar opposite directions met a De Kuip where Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s, Feyenoord overcame the spirited but ultimately futile efforts of Rene Hake’s beleaguered FC Twente. Jens Toornstra opened the scoring for the Rotterdammers on 23 minutes but the anticipated avalanche of goals failed to materialise thereafter as the home side found their counterparts from Enschede in stubborn mood – Nicolai Jorgensen’s second goal of the season eventually putting the game to bed with ten minutes remaining to leave Feyenoord perched atop of the fledgling Eredivisie table on goal difference.

A real ‘game of two halves’ unfolded in Deventer where newly promoted Go Ahead Eagles found themselves under immense pressure during a first half dominated in terms of chances and possession by Peter Hyballa’s NEC Nijmegen – the visitors deservedly taking the lead when a Quincy Owusu Abeyie through-ball split the Eagles’ brittle back line and put Kevin Mayi in the clear – the forward beating ‘keeper, Theo Zwarthoed with a low drive.

However, despite the visitor’s first half dominance, the second stanza began with the home side on the front foot – Hans de Koning’s charges equalising through a 25 yard thunderbolt from skipper, Sander Duits just four minutes after the resumption before Estonian import, Henrik Ojamaa cut in from the right and curled a well-placed effort into the top right hand corner of Joris Delle’s net to send the raucous home crowd at De Adelaarshorst into ecstasy just short of the hour mark.

But, the Deventer-based outfit failed to emulate fellow promoted side, Sparta’s exploits from the previous day – being denied their first win back in the top flight by Frenchman, Mayi, who, having exchanged a quick one-two on half way following the breakdown of an attack by a home side in search on their third of the afternoon, found himself once more one on one with Zwarthoed who he beat for a second time to tie the score at two apiece but neither team could fashion a winning goal.

The second round of matches was rounded out in Eindhoven where reigning champions, PSV squeezed past a resolute AZ Alkmaar in a largely uneventful encounter thanks to a Hector Moreno header after 52 minutes of play at the Philips Stadion.

RESULTS

SC Heerenveen 2-2 FC Utrecht

Excelsior 2-0 Groningen

Vitesse 1- 2 ADO Den Haag

AFC Ajax 2-2 Roda JC

PEC Zwolle 0-3 Sparta Rotterdam

Heracles 3-1 Willem II

Feyenoord 2-0 FC Twente

Go Ahead Eagles 2-2 NEC Nijmegen

PSV Eindhoven 1-0 AZ Alkmaar

RESULTS

NEC Nijmegen 1-1 PEC Zwolle

ADO Den Haag 3-0 Go Ahead Eagles

FC Utrecht 1-2 PSV Eindhoven

FC Twente 1-2 Excelsior

Willem II 1-4 Vitesse Arnhem

Groningen 0-5 Feyenoord

AZ Alkmaar 2-2 Heerenveen

Sparta Rotterdam 1-3 AFC Ajax

Roda JC 1- 1 Heracles

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 1

August 8, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

Welcome to week one of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our 2016/17 Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition. All players have performed so well this weekend that Will Burns has selected them in the team of the week. Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

GOALKEEPER

ELOY ROOM – VITESSE: A Fran Sol goal was the only thing that spoiled the fantastic outing for Eloy Room in his side’s 4-1 away win to Edwin van de Looi’s Willem II.

DEFENDERS

GIOVANNI TROUPEE – FC UTRECHT: At only 18, on his first start for Utrecht, the attacking Troupee was very impressive, defending well and forcing Jetro Willems into some difficult decisions.

ERIC BOTTEGHIN – FEYENOORD: FC Groningen rarely threatened due to Botteghin’s defensive play and great reading of the game.

DANIEL SCHWAAB – PSV: A solid performance from the experienced German that may force PSV fans to ask ‘Jeffrey who?’

LUCAS WOUDENBERG – FEYENOORD: Another youngster that impressed and deserving of claiming the left-back spot in the TOTW.

MIDFIELDERS

DAVY PROPPER – PSV: Lead the midfield to inspire a PSV comeback against a plucky FC Utrecht side in the 2-1 win.

TONNY VILHENA – FEYENOORD: Dominant performance in midfield and bagged himself a goal in the 5-0 demolition of FC Groningen.

DALEY SINKGRAVEN – AJAX: Finally looked settled in the Amsterdammers line-up and provided a great goal to give Ajax the lead in the 3-1 away win against newly promoted Sparta.

ATTACKERS

MITCHELL VAN BERGEN – VITESSE: Did anyone forget this kid is only 16 years old when watching him on Saturday?

NICOLAI JORGENSEN – FEYENOORD: A great performance for the Danish international in his league debut since his move from FC Copenhagen. Capped off with a goal.

ELJERO ELIA – FEYENOORD: The former Southampton winger notched a hat-trick and deserves the PLAYER OF THE WEEK award. Not even a dislocated finger could stop him on Sunday.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

FEATURE

Frank de Boer set to fly Inter Milan

August 8, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

After a successful spell at Ajax, it was always going to be interesting to see where Frank de Boer took his next job. The Premier League was the most likely destination and he was linked heavily to both the Everton and Southampton jobs this summer. However, it is looking likely he is going to be moving to Serie A to replace Roberto Mancini as Inter Milan manager reports Jake Jackman.

The job at the San Siro is a big one and it will test his managerial abilities, allowing us to finally work out whether De Boer has a future at the very top of football management. Inter Milan have only finished in the top three once since Jose Mourinho left the club, way back in 2010. They won the treble in that season and were the dominant club in Italy. Their inability to find a manager to replace Mourinho has played a large part in their fall down the league. Last season, there were signs of revival as they finished fourth, their best league position in the last five campaigns. They started the season superbly and looked like they could finally return to the Champions League, but they fell off the pace after the winter break. The pre-season has been farcical and it was clear that the divisive character of Roberto Mancini needed to be replaced.

Frank de Boer is a more composed character and will provide a calming influence, which is needed at that club right now. The squad is full of talent and they have the potential to break back into the top three, but De Boer will have a difficult task to begin with. Their pre-season is almost over, therefore there is no time to implement his tactical approach and minimal opportunity to bring his own players in.

The signings of Antonio Candreva and Ever Banega were shrewd moves from the club this summer, giving the squad more quality in the midfield areas. The latter in particular will be perfect for the game that de Boer will look to play at Inter. As a Dutchman, the former Ajax head coach will want his side to play a possession-based game and he will need to make them more dangerous in attack.

Last season, they only scored 50 goals, which was significantly less than the top three of Serie A. Ajax under De Boer were free-scoring, but that was expected as they were one of the best sides in the division. Banega and Candreva should add creativity to the midfield, which will help the side in the final third. The side have Stevan Jovetic, Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic in the squad. All three should score goals this season and it will be intriguing to see how De Boer goes about fixing the goal-scoring problem at the club.

At Ajax, De Boer made the side well organised and they had the best defence in the Eredivisie during his spell in charge. Inter had a good defence last season, but De Boer will improve it even further this season.

The Dutchman has a huge reputation, but he has a point to prove after failing to win the Eredivisie during his final two seasons with Ajax. Last year, Ajax went into the final day as favourites for the league title and only needed to beat relegated De Graafschap to clinch the Eredivisie. However, they only managed a draw, which handed the title to PSV on a plate. Also Ajax’s record in Europe was sketchy during his reign at the club.

He is far from the finished article and the doubts over his managerial ability have caused him to be overlooked for some club jobs, which he would have fancied. However, he now has a huge opportunity to prove himself to the footballing world at a huge club. Inter Milan have underachieved in recent years, but they have the ability to finish in the top three. They have a squad to compete with Roma and Napoli this season, and it is now up to De Boer to live up to his hype if he does get the job as expected. Although they aren’t good enough to compete with Juventus, a top three finish is well within their grasp.

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EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: Week One

August 8, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

Week one is in the books and here is Steven Davies with a full rundown of the action.

The 61^st season of the Eredivisie kicked off on Friday 5^th August with PEC Zwolle travelling to Nijmegen to face NEC – now under the stewardship of German, Peter Hyballa. The visitors hit the front shortly after the half hour with new signing, Anass Achahbar teeing up Ajax loanee, Queensy Menig with a deft back heel. However, Ron Jans and his charges were pegged back just after the hour when new signing, Reagy Ofosu beat the offside trap and scored on his debut to leave honours even at the Goffertstadion.

On Saturday, it was the turn of the first of the two promoted teams, with Go Ahead Eagles – having negotiated a tough promotion/relegation playoff campaign against first, VVV and then De Graafschap – travelling to The Hague to face ADO. However, it was not to be a fairy tale return to the Dutch top flight for Hans de Koning’s Eagles, who, despite looking dangerous in front of goal on numerous occasions throughout the match, conceded a penalty just after the quarter hour which Japanese international, Mike Havenaar duly converted before adding a second with twenty minutes remaining. ADO, now under the guidance of Zeljko Petrovic following the departure of Henk Fraser to Vitesse, then added a third through Tyronne Ebuehi with eight minutes left on the clock as the Eagles chased the game in vain.

After adding the Johan Cruijff Schaal to their burgeoning trophy cabinet following last weekend’s triumph over KNVB Beker winner’s, Feyenoord in the season opening showpiece, reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven began the defence of their title with a trip to Utrecht and were shocked when Sebastien Haller put Erik ten Hag’s men a goal to the good just after the quarter hour.

However, second half strikes by first, Davy Propper in the 51^st minute and then Gaston Pereiro with 10 minutes to play, ensured that normal service was resumed and that Phillip Cocu’s men left the Stadion Galgenwaard with all three points.

Having staved off demotion and potential financial oblivion over the summer, FC Twente could not however withstand a stubborn Excelsior side who took all three points from their visit to De Grolsch Veste on Saturday evening.

Kevin Vermeulen put the visitors into the ascendancy after only 13 minutes had elapsed in Enschede before Leeroy Owusu doubled the Rotterdammers lead just after the hour mark and, despite Jari Oosterwijk pulling a goal back for Rene Hake’s men with eight minutes remaining, Excelsior – now under the tutelage of Mitchell van der Gaag – were good value for their victory.

The visitors were also celebrating in Saturday’s late fixture where Henk Fraser’s Vitesse put four past Erwin van de Looi’s, Willem II in Tilburg.

Ricky van Wolfswinkel – making his re-debut for the club where his career began – put the Arnhem outfit in front after 21 minutes before a calamitous own goal by Willem II’s Greek goalkeeper Kostas Lamprou followed by a brace from Chelsea loanee, Nathan gave the visitors a healthy advantage going into the break. The Tilburg side did manage to add some respectability through a solitary header from Spanish striker, Fran Sol after 54 minutes but a miraculous comeback failed to materialise.

Sunday’s Eredivisie action began at the Noordlease Stadion in Groningen where Ernest Faber’s men were thrashed by an impressive individual display by Eljero Elia – who netted a hat trick in a 5-0 away triumph for Feyenoord.

It was the so often enigmatic Elia’s initial shot which, having been poorly dealt with by Groningen ‘keeper Sergio Padt, presented an open goal for Tonny Vilhena after 19 minutes had elapsed. Elia then smashed a crisp half volley past the helpless Padt following a Toornstra cross from the right before curling a well-placed strike into the top left hand corner from just inside the edge of the box on the stroke of half time.

Groningen offered little by way of attacking intent throughout the match and it came as little surprise when Elia completed his hat trick – tucking in the rebound after Padt had initially denied Vilhena on 56 minutes after which he left the stage with a dislocated finger – before new signing, Nicolai Jorgensen got off the mark for the Rotterdammers with his first goal in Feyenoord colours with seven minutes left to play.

It ended all square in Alkmaar where AZ and Heerenveen shared four goals. Markus Henriksen gave John van den Brom’s side the lead just after the half hour but the Frisian outfit – now under the guidance of former Willem II coach, Jurgen Streppel pegged the home side back through 21-year-old Swede, Arber Zeneli to send the sides in all square at the break.

Former Heracles striker, Wout Weghorst restored the home side’s advantage early in the second half – scoring a goal on his AZ debut from the penalty spot. However, the visitors responded once more with a strike from a former AZ player – Stijn Schaars ensuring the spoils were shared with eight minutes remaining.

After squeezing past PAOK in the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Peter Bosz took his Ajax side to Het Kasteel in Rotterdam to face the second of the clubs to have won promotion to the Eredivisie for the 2016/17 season – Sparta.

A double by Ajax skipper Davy Klaassen was enough to secure passage through to the playoff round of the UEFA Champions League where the four-time European Cup winners will face the Russian side, Rostov for a place in the group stages of the tournament, and it was Klaassen again who popped up with a bullet header from an El Ghazi cross from the right to give his side the lead after just 5 minutes of play.

Alex Pastoor lead Sparta to the Eerste Divisie crown last term following six years in the wilderness and the new boys showed that they would be no push-overs this season when they pegged de Godenzonen back just three minutes later when a Sanusi free kick took a deflection from Gudelj to deceive Jasper Cillessen who fumbled the ball into the Ajax net.

However, Ajax weren’t to be denied and, despite the dismissal of Joel Veltman for two bookable offences with six minutes remaining, second half strikes by Daley Sinkgraven and Colombian, Mateo Cassierra ensured all three points went back to Amsterdam.

The first round of action was rounded out in Kerkrade, where Roda (under new coach, Yannis Anastasiou) and Heracles ended with honours even at the Parkstad Limburg Stadion – Czech, Jaroslav Navratil giving the home side the advantage just after the half hour mark before Adil Auassar equalised for the visitors with 18 minutes left to play.

RESULTS

NEC Nijmegen 1-1 PEC Zwolle

ADO Den Haag 3-0 Go Ahead Eagles

FC Utrecht 1-2 PSV Eindhoven

FC Twente 1-2 Excelsior

Willem II 1-4 Vitesse Arnhem

Groningen 0-5 Feyenoord

AZ Alkmaar 2-2 Heerenveen

Sparta Rotterdam 1-3 AFC Ajax

Roda JC 1- 1 Heracles

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE Week 1 Betting Tips

August 6, 2016 Will Burns 1 Comment

This article is produced in association with

As usual Will Burns is on hand with his thoughts on two of this weekend’s Eredivisie games. The very best of luck if you are betting!

Saturday 5th August 2016 – 19:45BST

WILLEM II v VITESSE

After taking in their friendly against Newcastle United last weekend, I feel we could see a resurgence from Vitesse this season under Henk Fraser especially with the squad he has at hand. Although, Milot Rashica & Navarone Foor will sit out the today’s visit to Tilburg through injury. One player that to watch that impressed me against The Magpies is likely to start on the bench, 19-year-old Yuning Zhang. The Chinese international striker had a good pre-season overall, but new recruit Ricky van Wolfswinkel is tipped to begin the game in his return to Eredivisie and I think he will play a key role in this game.

Willem II will be led out this season by Edwin van de Looi, who joined from FC Groningen this summer, and he will hand debuts to striker Fran Sol (a former Real Madrid youth), midfielders Jari Schuurman, a loan signing from Feyenoord and two permanent signings in Thom Haye (AZ) and Andreas Calcan (Universitatea Cluj).

Looking at the pre-season friendly stats (which is usually risky, I am confident about goals going in here. The safe banker bet here for me is with Bet365 and their Over 2.5 Goals with Both Teams to Score option priced at just above evens.

TIP: Over 2.5 Goals with Both Teams to Score (2PTs placed on 2.05 at Bet365)

Sunday 6th August 2016 – 13:30BST

SPARTA ROTTERDAM v AJAX

After their successful jaunt to Greece in midweek which saw them tie up a Champions League playoff with FC Rostov, Ajax travelled to what will be a raucous crowd in Rotterdam as the oldest club in Dutch Football, Sparta make their return to the top flight in six years.

Sparta manager Alex Pastoor, as the norm with promoted sides, has seen his squad undergo major changes over the summer with 11 leaving and ten arriving. His side will be more than up for this game and I think likely to score. Winger Thomas Verhaar, scorer of 24 goals last term, will be one to look out for and will be a threat to the shaky Amsterdammers back line.

Ajax coach Peter Bosz tinkered with his formation midweek and experimented with a 3-5-2 in the 2-1 win over PAOK Salonika, however it expected he will revert back to 4-3-3 in this game. A young forward line may spearhead the Ajax attack as highly-rated Danish striker Kasper Dolberg is in line to make his Eredivisie debut, as is 19-year-old Colombian Mateo Cassierra, a summer signing from Deportivo Cali.

The Ajax defence over the two legs against PAOK has shown that are suspect and they will leak goals this season. New experienced German signing Heiko Westerman was in particular poor and Sparta could easily breach Jasper Cillessen’s goal. Although, I see Ajax winning this match expect Sparta to score at least one goal. Ajax to grab the win while conceding is valued at 9/4 by Betfred and I see that as the best bet in this match,

TIP: Ajax to win with Both Teams to Score (2PT placed on 3.25 at Betfred)

In addition to these tips keep an eye on Get Bet Smart’s Twitter account for their #SocialMediaExclusive tips including the very successful #DutchDouble.

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

NEC v PEC Zwolle Preview and Betting Tips

August 5, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

This article is produced in association with

The new Eredivisie campaign is underway tonight and Will Burns begins with a preview of tonight’s opener. Read on and good luck…

Friday 4th August 2016 – 19:00BST

NEC NIJMEGEN v PEC ZWOLLE

The charismatic Ron Jans leads PEC Zwolle into the fourth season of his management and they open the season with a Friday night clash in Nijmegen. Where new head coach Peter Hyballa will be aiming to continue the good work of his predecessor Ernest Faber, who led NEC to a top-ten finish last campaign.

The hosts come into the game with no real injury concerns as the squad fighting fit ready for the new campaign, however the first XI named tonight will show many changes. Last season’s first teamers Christian Santos, Navarone Foor, Anthony Limbombe, Brad Jones, Lucas Woudenberg, Todd Kane and Marcel Ritzmaier have all moved onto bigger clubs or returned to parent clubs. Let me point out that, these players accounted for 30 of the 34 league goals scored by the team last year.

Recruitment has proven to bring bodies in, but not replace the quality. Defensive reinforcements Segun Owobowale and Robin Buwalda have arrived from ADO, while Bosnian Dario Dumic arrived from Danish side Brondby. In midfield, Australian Stefan Mauk flies in from Adelaide United and young German winger Julian von Haacke (22) joins from Werder Bremen without playing a professional game for the Bundesliga side.

Trying to emulate the impact of the departing Christian Santos last term, the scorer of 17 goals in all competitions will be Reagy Ofosu, signed from Austrian outfit, SV Grodig, however he only found the net twice in 16 appearances and failed to secure a contact with his efforts.

Defeating PEC Zwolle tonight is a big ask in my opinion with the talent at hand. Jans’ summer transfer window has gone considerably better than Hyballa’s and they line up tonight with a far better squad in my opinion.

As always, Zwolle have lost some first-teamers too but on this occasion rather than players heading to bigger clubs, it’s been a case of talents like Sheraldo Becker, Lars Veldwijk and Ouasim Bouy returning to their parent clubs. Highly-rated defender Thomas Lam was the only real talent leaving on a permanent basis to Nottingham Forest who has been decently replaced by a Ted van de Pavert from relegated De Graafschap.

Jans has once again capitalised on signing loanees as Ajax pair Queensy Menig and Django Warmerdam arrive for a season, as does Calvin Verdonk from Feyenoord and 18-year old Italian striker Hachim Mastour from AC Milan, who will wear number 98 this season, the highest in Eredivisie history.

Aiming to replace the goals of Veldwijk, is Anass Achahbar (#30 in the 2015 TDF Top 50) a permanent signing from Feyenoord. The 22-year-old attacker has seen few chances at De Kuip, but I am expecting big things this season under Jans’s coaching. With Menig, Youness Mokhtar and Mustafa Saymak providing for the striker, I can see Achahbar scoring at least 15 this season, possibly starting tonight at an overpriced 3/1 to score anytime with Bet365.

Looking across the squad and the potential line-up for Zwolle, I see nothing but quality that could achieve even better than the eighth place last campaign. In goal, is the highly-rated youngster Mickey van der Hart. Protecting him will be captain Bram van Polen and Calvin Verdonk at full-back while experienced head Dirk Marcellis will partner either Bart Schenkeveld or debutant Van de Pavert in the centre.

Up front, will see Achahbar flanked by Menig and the speedy wing-back Kingsley Ehizibue with the creativity of Moroccan international Mokhtar sitting in the behind them. The talents of Ryan Thomas, Max de Boom and Stef Nijland will be waiting on the bench if goals are needed later on.

In midfield, the pairing of Saymak and Wout Brama are vital to the team’s performance. Meanwhile, like I stated earlier, in comparison to the Nijmegen squad, I see PEC Zwolle winning this game tonight. There will be goals, as always in the majority of Eredivisie games, but I see backing Ron Jans’ boys to take home the victory at 7/5 again with Bet365.

TIP: PEC Zwolle to win (2PTS placed on 2.40 at Bet365)

TIP: Anass Achahbar to score anytime (2PTS placed on 4.00 at Bet365)

In addition to these tips keep an eye on Get Bet Smart’s Twitter account for their #SocialMediaExclusive tips including the very successful #DutchDouble.

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REPORT

Davy’s double helps Ajax prevail and clinch playoff place

August 3, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

A double from Ajax captain, Davy Klaassen saw Ajax squeeze past PAOK and into the next round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League – beating the Greek side 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate reports Steven Davies.

WEDNESDAY 3RD AUGUST 2016

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND

PAOK 1-2 AJAX

(Ajax wins 3-2 on aggregate)

Playing an, at times, awkward 3-5-2 formation, Ajax found themselves with a proverbial mountain to climb after only four minutes when Stefanos Athanasiadis lost Heiko Westermann on the back post and beat Jasper Cillessen to put the Greek side ahead both on the night and in the tie overall following a 1-1 draw between the two sides in Amsterdam just over a week ago.

Faced with both the inhospitable temperatures in Thessaloniki and hostile atmosphere inside the Stadio Toumbas, the Ajax back three just could not come to grips with the illusive Athanasiadis who was denied by Cillessen on several occasions including a fantastic point black stop and a one-on-one between the two which the PAOK goal-scorer failed to convert inside the opening half hour.

Ajax built up a healthy advantage in terms of possession as the half wore on but could not convert their possession into clear cut chances while PAOK’s swift counter attacking through the evasive Garry Rodrigues found the Ajax backline turned inside out on more than one occasion with only Dutch international, Cillessen’s reflexes keeping the Amsterdam giants in the tie.

Ajax’s first real opportunity arrived at the feet of Cassierra after some deft control from a Dijks cross from the left found the new signing with the goal at his mercy – yet a stumble from the Colombian allowed PAOK ‘keeper, Glykos to recover.

It appeared that the tie was slipping away from the four-time European Cup winners until Viergever was brought down by Croatian defender, Marin Leovac in the PAOK box following an Ajax free kick from the right as the clock ticked into added time at the end of the first half.

Davy Klaassen duly dispatched the resultant spot kick to claw Peter Bosz and his men somewhat undeservedly back into the tie and in the process nullify the away goal the Greeks had bagged in Amsterdam.

A largely uneventful second stanza saw a slew of yellow cards and few opportunities – the majority of which fell to the home side.

A Tzavellas free kick on 53 minutes tested Cillessen’s reflexes and a looping header from PAOK substitute, Mystakidis rattled the Ajax’s keeper’s crossbar as the game entered the final quarter hour.

Yet, try as they might, the Greeks found de Godenzonen in resilient mood and, with the away side’s only opportunity of the half, a cross from the left found substitute Anwar El Ghazi whose cushioned header fell perfectly for Ajax skipper, Klaassen who duly drilled home to put the Amsterdammers ahead for the first time in the tie – the Dutch international’s strike ultimately proving enough to put the European giants into the next round of UEFA Champions League qualifying.

Man of the Match: Jasper Cillessen

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE PREVIEW: Antepost Betting Tips

August 3, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

This article is produced in association with

The Eredivisie season kicks off this Friday night and Will Burns is on hand with his thoughts on the nine months ahead.

The people of Eindhoven were worshipping De Graafschap on the final day of the season back in May, as the Superboeren prevented Ajax winning their 34th Eredivisie championship title. This campaign, the 60th anniversary of the Dutch top flight, will struggle to repeat a memorable story to match last season’s climax but Philip Cocu will not be complaining as I see them retaining the league title for the third consecutive year a lot easier than last.

Again for the big two, it has proven a summer of departures as PSV has lost Jeffrey Bruma to Wolfsburg while Maxine Lestienne and Marco van Ginkel have returned to their parent clubs after a season long loan deals. However, Cocu has completed a great piece of business and re-strengthened the defence with experienced German stopper Daniel Schwaab on a free from Stuttgart. Rumours are afoot that Jetro Willems and Jeroen Zoet could leave before the window closes at the end of the month but PSV have suitable back-up in Simon Poulsen and Joshua Brenet at the left-back position, while Hidde Jurjus has been recruited from De Graafschap for in-between the sticks. In addition, the money pot is bursting at the seams if Cocu wishes to restore some quality to the squad. Will this be the year that Steven Bergwijn is unleashed on the Eredivisie? If you have not heard the name… you will by the end of the year!

For Ajax, this season will all be about rebuilding as they have undergone major changes over the last three months and look to be slap bang in the middle of a transitional period. Frank de Boer has been replaced by former Vitesse boss Peter Bosz as first-teamers Arek Milik, Ricardo van Rhijn, Viktor Fischer and Mike van der Hoorn have followed out of the door. Bosz will be relying on youth to step up the plate and the Amsterdammers have plenty in defence to cover but attacking options are thin. Again, like the reigning champions, they have plenty in the coffers to recruit – time will tell if they will. For their leader Bosz, I fail to see him inspiring this Ajax side to honours over the next nine months.

The side I see challenging the closest for PSV’s crown this year is Feyenoord led by former Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Extending the stay of Dirk Kuyt was the best piece of the business this summer and the additions of Watford’s Steven Berghuis and Danish winger Nicolai Jørgensen has bolstered the creativity in attack with Lex Immers leaving for Cardiff seen as the only real casualty. The Rotterdammers have been way overvalued in the betting markets and I really think they could pip Ajax to second place. Get on Feyenoord each-way at SkyBet at a massive 12/1.

Until the window closes all three have potential to work on their squads but it looks like PSV look best equipped to retain the shield for the three-peat best priced with 888Sport at 5/4 and I envisage Luuk de Jong clinching the Golden Boot now that the Dutch goal-machine Vincent Janssen has crossed the North Sea to join Tottenham. De Jong is a short price but rightly so at 5/6 with 10Bet.

If you are looking for an each-way bet in the goalscoring stakes, Janssen’s replacement at AZ Alkmaar, Wout Weghorst is priced up at 14/1 with Unibet.

TIPS

PSV to win Eredivisie title (5PTS placed on 2.25 at 888Sport)

Feyenoord to win Eredivisie title (1PT Each-way on 13.00 at SkyBet)

Luuk de Jong Eredivisie top scorer (2.5PTS placed on 1.83 at 10Bet)

Wout Weghorst Eredivisie top scorer (1PT Each-way placed on 15.00 at Unibet)

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NEWS

PSV capture first silverware of the season

July 31, 2016 Will Burns Leave a comment

Reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven secured the first silverware of the 2016/17 campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over KNVB Beker winners, Feyenoord to lift the Johan Cruijff Schaal on Sunday 31^st July at the Amsterdam ArenA reports Steven Davies.

An, at times, tempestuous first half began with Andres Guardado striking new signing Par Hansson’s crossbar with the Swedish stopper beaten after just five minutes and the reigning Eredivisie champions found plenty of joy from swift counter attacks throughout the first stanza.

Mexican international, Guardado edged ahead of his playmaking counterpart, Tonny Vilhena as Feyenoord were progressively forced to resort to long, hopeful balls into the PSV area as the half wore on.

It came as little surprise when, with 29 minutes on the clock and PSV enjoying the majority of possession, Jorrit Hendrix forced his way into the Feyenoord box and was brought down by El Ahmadi. Yet, despite 32 goals in all competitions last term, Luuk de Jong surprising sent his penalty attempt wayward – the ball shaving the bar on its way into orbit.

Tempers flared thereafter as an innocuous coming together between Isimat-Mirin and Toornstra resulted in handbags being thrown and yellow cards dished out to Toornstra and Jetro Willems respectively.

PSV were now well and truly in the ascendancy and minutes after a Pereiro shot had been screwed narrowly wide from a ball from the right a similar ball into the Feyenoord box saw an attempted clearance scuffed and Davy Propper flash a daisy cutter through a cluster of legs and into the far corner of Hansson’s net with the keeper rooted to the spot to give PSV a deserved 38^th minute lead.

Cup winners, Feyenoord came out for the second half with purpose and, in a frenetic few minutes just after the restart, Vilhena drew a point blank save from PSV stopper, Jeroen Zoet before Toornstra fired over from close range.

Feyenoord chased the game throughout but looked increasingly unlikely to break PSV’s stranglehold on the game. New signing, Nicolai Jorgensen cut an increasingly frustrated figure up front, as did the rest of Feyenoord’s attacking trio and the Danish marksman was replaced by Michiel Kramer with a quarter of an hour left on the clock – their best opportunity falling to a defender, as a Botteghin header was cleared off the line after 57 minutes.

Despite having the majority of possession in the second period, Feyenoord found clean cut chances hard to come by and it was PSV who instead threatened to add to their lead: first, through Locadia who curled the ball just wide of Hansson’s left hand post after 54 minutes and then, with just a minute of normal time remaining, Jetro Willems was denied from point blank range by the Dane after being put through one-on-one with the keeper.

However, these missed opportunities did not come back to haunt the reigning Eredivisie champions who retained the Johan Cruijff Schaal for the second year in succession following their 3-0 victory over Groningen in the same fixture last season.

Man of the Match: Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven)

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