All posts by Will Burns

Celtic set to lose commanding defender?

March 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Celtic’s Dutch central defender Virgil van Dijk is set to leave the Scottish Premiership champions at the end of the season according to his agent, Henk-Maarten Chin.

The 22-year old has been a revelation in the Celtic defence this season since his £2.6 million summer move from FC Groningen last year.

Due to his success he has been linked with a move away throughout the season with a host of Barclays Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City waiting in the wings to take the big Dutchman to the North-West of England.

Yesterday, his agent, Henk-Maarten Chin, stated that the Celtic defender could certainly be leaving Parkhead in the summer, although he did admit no club has bid so far.

Speaking to the Scotsman, Chin said: “There is certainly interest. Many English clubs are interested in him – many top clubs. They watch him and are very keen but there has been no official approach for Virgil yet, but that will come after the season ends.

“There’s certainly far more interest in him than we could have dreamed of and I expect something will happen for him this summer.”

“Celtic were completely outplayed by Barcelona, but Virgil was the only player who was OK and against AC Milan, he made a great impression in his battles against a top player like Mario Balotelli.”

The player is yet to comment on his agent’s words but one thing is for sure, it is every player’s dream to play for his country and since Van Dijk’s move to Scotland, he has been overlooked by Oranje coach Louis van Gaal despite the defender’s incredible form.

Van Gaal has been selecting young Eredivisie defenders like Ajax’s Joel Veltman, Feyenoord’s pair Stefan de Vrij and Terence Kongolo, PSV’s Jeffrey Bruma and Karim Rekik while these five players have showed weaknesses all season that Virgil has not.

Anyone who watched the Eredivisie last season will be shocked by Van Dijk’s exclusion in the Dutch squad but will not be surprised by the interest shown in him by other clubs. In fact I remember writing at the start of the season, my shock that this player chose Celtic to advance his career.

No disrespect to Scottish champions, as I am fully aware of the massive size and support of the club but I honestly thought a move to the Premiership, where the big money and the vast exposure is available for players, would have suited Van Dijk and especially his agent better.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 27 – SUNDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

March 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Will Burns returns with his picks for the Eredivisie for Sunday games and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Sunday 9th March

RKC WAALWIJK vs. ADO DEN HAAG (11:30 GMT)

ADO sit two points and one place ahead of RKC in 15th heading into this clash which will leave the losing team with further relegation worries.

RKC will be desperate to clinch the win for their fans inside the Mandemakers Stadion to stop a three-game losing streak. ADO seem to have recovered from their poor goalscoring form in early February that saw them score only one goal in four games. They have hit four goals in the last two games.

RKC themselves have only scored twice in the last three games so I see the 23/20 offered by Bet365 for Under 2.5 Goals being our best bet.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Under 2.5 Goals (23/20 – Bet365) – Open an account with bet365 today and qualify for up to £200 in free bets with our fantastic 100% Initial Deposit Bonus.

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. FC TWENTE (13:30 GMT)

Even though they have only won once in their last five outings, FC Twente are in pole position for the second Champions League spot in the Eredivisie. However, they have Vitesse on the same points breathing down their necks.

Their opponents on Sunday, Go Ahead Eagles are very hard to beat at home and were unlucky that PSV Eindhoven, the in-form side in the Eredivisie, came back from two goals down to defeat them. AZ Alkmaar tasted defeat at Adelaarshorst in early February with league leaders Ajax getting out of Deventer with a narrow 1-0 win.

Go Ahead have scored 25 of their total 38 goals this season at home so I see goals in this game and with Twente only losing once in their last 16 games a Twente win or a high scoring draw could be on the cards. Best bet would be Over 3.5 Goals at Bet365.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 3.5 Goals (5/4 – Bet365) – Open an account with bet365 today and qualify for up to £200 in free bets with our fantastic 100% Initial Deposit Bonus.

FC GRONINGEN vs. FEYENOORD (13:30 GMT)

After the antics of Graziano Pellè in the past few weeks, Feyenoord’s top scorer found himself on the end of four-game suspension this week and Ronald Koeman stripped his Italian forward of the club captaincy.

Without their main source of goals, the Rotterdam side head to Groningen who are experiencing a average season. Unable to put a run of good results together, head coach Erwin van de Looi is expected to just make one change to the eleven that were unlucky to just get a draw against SC Cambuur last weekend, with Maikel Kieftenbeld suspended for too many yellow cards.

I see this one being a close game, so much so that the 27/10 offered by Bet Victor for the draw is too tempting not to jump on.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (27/10 – BetVictor) – Click here to bet on this market and receive up to £25 in free bets.

AJAX vs. SC CAMBUUR (15:30 GMT)

The final game of the weekend sees league leaders meeting SC Cambuur. Dwight Lodeweges’ side, promoted from the Eerste Divisie last season, currently are in 11th place but in a tight league this year, they are only four points from the drop zone.

The visitors are the only side in the division yet to win away from home, with five draws and eight defeats and if they were to change this fact against league leaders Ajax, it would be a major shock. Frank de Boer will expect his side to come out with the victory and put a further stranglehold on their fourth consecutive Eredivisie championship.

I see Ajax winning but Cambuur are a real threat on the attack and could grab an unlikely goal. Ajax proved in their first leg Europa League demolition by Red Bull Salzburg that they can concede. Their opponents on Sunday, Cambuur have scored at least once in every game of 2014 so far. Both Teams to Score is offered at 11/10 by Betfair and that is our best bet in the last game of Week 27.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Both Teams to Score (11/10 – Betfair)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

Week 27 Eredivisie Report: PSV on a roll as Vitesse move into 2nd

March 8, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

The resurgent PSV won their sixth game in a row, AZ continued their winning ways with a 4-0 thumping of Heracles, Roda ended their losing streak to lift themselves off the bottom and Vitesse Arnhem leapfrogged into second place in Saturday’s Eredivisie action.

Saturday 8th March 2014

AZ ALKMAAR 4-0 HERACLES

For the second home game in succession AZ handed out a 4-0 beating, this time, Heracles were on the wrong end of the lashing in Alkmaar.

AZ dominated throughout and the scoring began on 17 minutes after some excellent work on the right-wing by Steven Berghuis holding the ball up until Swedish full-back Mattias Johansson arrived. The Swede collected the ball in the area and put the ball on a plate for American striker Aron Jóhannsson to fire the ball in the roof of the goal.

Heracles were a goal down and Milano Koenders was blamed for placing his team under further pressure on 24 minutes. The defender was shown a straight red card by referee Jeroen Sanders for bringing down Jóhannsson when through on goal, replays shown that Sanders had got it wrong and no contact was made.

AZ pressed on and Aron Jóhannsson grabbed another goal in the 37th minute, as again Berghuis and Johansson combined on the right wing to set-up the American in the area to hold off two defenders to finish.

The AZ attacks were relentless and it was three on 79 minutes with Swedish right-back Mattias Johansson netting his own goal after providing two assists earlier with fellow compatriot Viktor Elm adding a fourth in stoppage time.

AZ stay in seventh place in the league 7th this week while Heracles are 12th only four points ahead of the drop zone.

TEAMS

AZ: Esteban, Johansson (Reijnen 83), Gouweleeuw, Viergever, Poulsen, Gudelj (Henriksen 83), Ortiz, Elm, Berghuis, Jóhannsson, Beerens (Lewis 70).

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, Hoedt, Gorter.

GOALS: Johannson 16 & 37, Johansson 79, Elm 90.

BOOKINGS: None.

HERACLES: Pasveer, Te Wierik, Koenders, Veldmate (Quansah 21), Davidson, Cziommer (Bruns 63), Rienstra, Bel Hassani (Belterman 29), Rosheuvel, Uth, Linssen.

SUBS NOT USED: Telgenkamp, Dijk, Amoah, Tannane.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Bruns 78.

SENT OFF: Koenders 24.

RODA JC 3-1 NEC NIJMEGEN

At the bottom of the table, Roda JC and NEC Nijmegen switched places as Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side gained ended a six game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over their fellow strugglers.

Returning to the side after an injury, Guus Hupperts scored the first of his two goals after half an hour and he will not get an easier goal. NEC goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson tried to clear the ball with a big kick upfield but was charged down by Berry Powel. Powel held the ball up until Hupperts arrived to tap home. It was maybe just the bit of luck Roda had needed after not scoring a goal for four matches.

Marc Hocher made it two on 53 minutes with a looping free-kick, chipping the ball over the Johnsson. It was not the Swedish goalkeeper’s day. Guus Hupperts notched his second three minutes later after Powel had played the winger through on goal.

English striker Michael Higdon reduced the arrears on the hour mark with his 11th goal of the season for the visitors, but it was to no avail and the score finished 3-1.

TEAMS

RODA: Kurto, Letschert, Luijckx, Ramos, Van Peppen, Sutchuin, Kali, Hupperts (Fledderus 90+4), Donald (De Beule 88), Höcher, Powel (Demouge 82).

SUBS NOT USED: Monteyne, Paulissen, Prus, Pluim.

GOALS: Hupperts 30 & 56, Höcher 53.

BOOKINGS: Kali 28, De Beule 90+1.

NEC: Johnsson, Vermijl, Nielsen, Haitz, Conboy, Štefánik (Palsson 54), Rieks, Koolwijk, Jahanbakhsh (Hemlein 54), Higdon, Foor.

SUBS NOT USED: Gentenaar, Disveld, Mulder, Jantscher, Leiwakabessy.

GOALS: Higdon 60.

BOOKINGS: None.

SENT OFF: Palsson 90+1.

HEERENVEEN 3-0 PEC ZWOLLE

Marco van Basten lead his Heerenveen side to a great 3-0 home win against Ron Jans’ Zwolle at the Abe Lenstra Stadion to stay in sixth place.

After an even first half, where both sides had their chances to take the lead, the opening goal finally came on 37 minutes as Bilal Basacikoglu shrugged off two defenders to slot past Zwolle ‘keeper Kevin Begois after Alfred Finnbogasson had played the midfielder into the box.

In the 68th minute, Rajiv van La Parra made it 2-0 with an excellent goal. After receiving the ball from Joey van den Berg on the left side of the area, the winger took one touch to set himself up to curl home into the top corner giving Begois no chance of stopping.

All three points were cemented for Heerenveen ten minutes later with Alfred Finnbogason once again scoring. It was 23rd goal in 24 games in the Eredivisie this season, finishing Van la Parra defence splitting ball to slide the ball home.

Heerenveen sit in sixth with Zwolle comfortable in eighth, and both will be gunning for European football next term.

TEAMS

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Dijks (Marzo 33), Kum, Van Anholt, Kruiswijk, De Roon, Van den Berg, Ziyech (Sinkgraven 80), Van la Parra, Finnbogason, Basacikoglu.

SUBS NOT USED: Vandenbussche, Otigba, De Kamps, Slagveer, Fazli.

GOALS: Basacikoglu 37, Van la Parra 68, Finnbogason 77.

BOOKINGS: Van Anholt 64.

ZWOLLE: Begois, Van Polen, Van der Werff, Van Hintum, Broerse, Saymak (Nijland 74), Karagounis (Narsingh 66), Drost, Thomas (Fennich 84), Benson, Hiwat.

SUBS NOT USED: Ter Wielen, Mahmudov, Pereira.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Karagounis 41, Van Polen 47.

NAC BREDA 1-2 VITESSE

Mike Havenaar secured a 2-1 win for Vitesse away to NAC Breda to put his side into second place on Saturday night.

Three first-half goals decided the game and it was January signing Zakaria Labyad, on-loan from Sporting Lisbon, who notched his first goal for Vitesse within the first eight minutes. The midfielder capitalised on some slack defending by Mats Seuntjens and finished the ball past Jelle ten Rouwelaar with perfection.

The visiting fans were not celebrating for long. NAC were soon back on terms after Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the spot when he adjudged Jan-Arie van der Heijden to foul Rydell Poepon in the area. Ten minutes gone and it was 1-1 after Jordy Buijs converted the penalty kick.

However, Peter Bosz men walked away with all three points and their third win on the trot thanks to a Mike Havenaar goal on 26 minutes. The Japanese striker volleyed home a Christian Atsu cross at the front post.

Vitesse temporarily moved up into second place with FC Twente to play in Sunday’s game. Breda stay in tenth spot six points above the drop zone.

TEAMS

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, De Roover, Drost, Buijs, Bodor, Kwakman, Matic, Seuntjens, Hooi, Poepon (Perica 24), Verbeek (Sarpong 35).

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, Suk, El Allouchi, Swerts, Van der Weg.

GOALS: Buijs 10P.

BOOKINGS: Ten Rouwelaar 26.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Van der Struijk, Kashia, Van der Heijden, Achenteh, Vejinovic, Pröpper, Labyad (Qazaishvili 81), Atsu (Piazón 61), Havenaar, Ibarra.

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Mori, Djurdjevic, Traoré, Van Aanholt.

GOALS: Labyad 8, Havenaar 26.

BOOKINGS: None.

PSV 1-0 FC UTRECHT

Philip Cocu witnessed his side win their sixth game in a row to jump into fourth spot still in hope of clinching Champions League football next season.

Dominating the possession the entire game, poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Robbin Ruiter stopped PSV running away with the game. The scoreline was not reflective of the hosts’ control as a clutch of first-half chances went begging.

However, the decisive goal arrived on 50 minutes as Jürgen Locadia notched his ninth goal of the campaign with a scrappy goal. After Locadia fluffed his first chance with the ball, Matthieu Delpierre and Kai Heerings failed to clear and the young striker got another bite of the cherry to score.

PSV still have their eyes on the Champions League place and clinching all 18 points out of a possible 18 in their last six games they have gave themselves a great chance.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Arias, Bruma, Rekik, Willems, Hiljemark, Park (Maher 82), Schaars, Narsingh (Ruiz 77), Locadia (Matavz 88), Depay.

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Brenet, Zanka Jørgensen, Van Ooijen.

GOALS: Locadia 51.

BOOKINGS: Schaars 40.

UTRECHT: Ruiter, Markiet, Heerings (Bjelica 77), Delpierre, Dorda, Sarota (Agudelo 61), Mårtensson, Toornstra, Ayoub (Van der Gun 62), Oar, De Ridder.

SUBS NOT USED: Verhoeven, Diemers, Quesada, Klaiber.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: De Ridder 21, Toornstra 41, Heerings 54, Delpierre 85, Van der Gun 87.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 27 – SATURDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

March 8, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

After nailing 11 out of his last 14 selections, Will Burns is on fire and he returns with his picks for the Eredivisie for Saturday games and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Saturday 8th March

AZ ALKMAAR vs. HERACLES (17:45 GMT)

Although Heracles were unlucky to lose at home to Heerenveen last weekend, I cannot see them turning things around in Alkmaar as they travel to face a AZ who thumped RKC Waalwijk 4-0 last Sunday.

Good news for the visitors is that regular first-teamers Mike te Wierik and Bryan Linssen return from suspension as they look to gain their first win in five games. They do not have a good record at the AFAS Stadion, with AZ winning eight of their last nine home matches against Heracles in all competitions.

I see that record stretching to a ninth win in ten and by a couple of goals. The best bet of the day is in the handicap market at Bet365.com with AZ Alkmaar -1 valued at 6/5. So we need AZ Alkmaar to win by two clear goals for this bet to come in

BURNS’ BEST BET: AZ Alkmaar -1 (6/5 at Bet365) – Open an account with bet365 today and qualify for up to £200 in free bets with our fantastic 100% Initial Deposit Bonus.

RODA JC vs. NEC NIJMEGEN (17:45 GMT)

The basement boys clash in a vital relegation six-pointer as Roda host NEC and if the home side experience a defeat, then they could be nine points adrift from safety by the end of the weekend.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side are in major trouble and they need to find a run of results and quick. Currently six points from safety, they know that this game on Saturday is a must-win fixture but their main problem is front of goal. Roda have not scored a single goal in the last four games.

However, on the other side, why NEC are deep in the relegation quagmire is their away form. The Nijmegen side have failed to win 17 of their last 18 away matches in Eredivisie. However, who will win this game does not interest me when looking at my best bet.

Roda will struggle in front of goal again in this one especially with their main source of goals; Guus Hupperts, Jan-Mark Fledderus, Frank Demouge, Krisztian Németh and Anco Jansen are all out through injury. They may get one since Nijmegen have not kept a clean sheet for seven matches.

Under 2.5 Goals is valued at 6/4 with our friends at BetVictor and I see that our best bet.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Under 2.5 Goals (6/4 – BetVictor) – Click here to bet on this market and receive up to £25 in free bets.

HEERENVEEN vs. PEC ZWOLLE (18:45 GMT)

After watching Zwolle’s defence concede three goals at home to NEC Nijmegen last weekend, I predict that this one will be a barnburner with goals galore.

Heerenveen are well capable of scoring goals with the astounding strikepower of Alfred Finnbogason leading their line. The Icelandic hitman has hit the back of the net an astonishing 22 times in the 23 appearances this season.

On-loan striker Guyon Fernandez is also in good scoring form for Zwolle, notching six goals in the last nine games. With the unpredictable Mitchell Dijks sitting in Marco van Basten’s defence, Heerenveen are also open to conceding, they have let 44 goals past in their 26 games this season.

The price of 5/4 that Bet365 are offering for Over 3.5 Goals is well worth a punt.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 3.5 Goals (5/4 – Bet365) – Open an account with bet365 today and qualify for up to £200 in free bets with our fantastic 100% Initial Deposit Bonus.

NAC BREDA vs. VITESSE (19:45 GMT)

Vitesse seem to have got over the horror show that the start of 2014 brought to Peter Bosz’s side with two home wins in succession. The Arnhem outfit head to Breda with hope that they can clinch the number two spot in the Eredivisie to qualify for Champions League football.

The hosts, NAC Breda, are in good form themselves and are undefeated in six games that has took them to 10th in the league. Although four of those games have ended in draws.

Vitesse have also had their fair share of draws with three in the last seven games ending level. The last two games have brought wins but at home against two of the three clubs in the drop zone, RKC and Roda so I’m not getting excited by those two results. Bet365 are offering a huge 3/1 for the draw in this one and I see this one landing.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (3/1 – Bet365) – Open an account with bet365 today and qualify for up to £200 in free bets with our fantastic 100% Initial Deposit Bonus.

PSV vs. FC UTRECHT (19:45 GMT)

The final game on Saturday sees FC Utrecht travel to Philips Stadion to face the in-form PSV, who are currently on a hot five-game winning streak.

Philip Cocu has seen his fortunes turned around, and last week’s fantastic 3-2 win away to the tenacious Go Ahead Eagles showed great character coming back from two goals down to take the three points.

FC Utrecht sit in 13th and are undefeated in their last three and with two respectable draws with FC Twente and AZ Alkmaar sandwiching a 1-0 win over Groningen, Utrecht could be capable of getting a something in Eindhoven and bursting Cocu’s bubble.

I see PSV winning again but to give us some real value I see Over 3.5 Goals as our best bet.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 3.5 Goals (11/10 – BetVictor) – Click here to bet on this market and receive up to £25 in free bets.

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EREDIVISIE, NEWS

Feyenoord strip Pellè of captaincy

March 3, 2014 Will Burns 4 Comments

Feyenoord have stripped controversial Italian hothead Graziano Pellè of the club captaincy and have also stated that the striker will not be considered for selection in their next two games against FC Groningen and Heerenveen. Jordy Clasie will lead the team out with the captain’s armband in the future.

A statement on Feyenoord.nl said: “Feyenoord have removed the captaincy from Graziano Pellè. Also, the striker will not be available for selection in Feyenoord’s next two games. These measures were taken on Monday and made known to Pellè and his team-mates.”

The KNVB handed Pellè a one-match ban suspended for a year after he was caught on camera (see video below) in a vicious outburst, kicking the dugout following his side’s 2-2 draw with FC Twente last weekend.

Pelle was selected in Sunday’s ‘De Klassieker’ with Ajax and scored the opening goal but Feyenoord were eventually defeated 2-1. Video replays showed during the game that the Italian was lucky not to be sent off after he appeared to strike Ajax defender Joël Veltman with an elbow in the second half. Referee for the match, Bjorn Kuipers, did not witness the incident and the KNVB have yet to announce whether they will take retrospective action or not.

After the game, the Italian was involved in a highly confrontational interview at pitchside with FOX Sports presenter Jan Joost van Gangelen, and the striker completely lost his cool.

Watch the full interview in the video below.

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EREDIVISIE

Week 26 Eredivisie Report: Ajax take charge and win De Klassieker

March 3, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Ajax have almost wrapped up their fourth Eredivisie title in a row with a 2-1 win at De Kuip against bitter rivals Feyenoord in the 176th De Klassieker writes Will Burns.

Sunday 2nd March 2014

FC UTRECHT 1-1 FC TWENTE

The title hopes of FC Twente have all but ended after they failed to defeat FC Utrecht on Sunday.

The visitors began the game well and took the lead through the in-form winger Quincy Promes. After the Utrecht defence failed to clear a cross, Norwegian striker Torgeir Børven nodded the ball to back post so that Promes could lash home a half volley into the roof of the net.

The equaliser came seconds after the restart with Australian Tommy Oar scoring his first goal for Utrecht with a great solo effort.

Utrecht are now four points clear from the relegation zone, while Twente climb back up into the Champions League qualifying spot.

TEAMS

UTRECHT: Ruiter, Van der Maarel, Markiet, Delpierre, Dorda, Martensson, Ayoub (Diemers 81), Sarota, Toornstra, Oar, De Ridder.

SUBS NOT USED: Verhoeven, Velzen, Quesada, Bjelica, Agudelo, Klaiber.

GOALS: Oar 46.

BOOKINGS: Van der Maarel 24, Toornstra 69.

TWENTE: Marsman, Rosales, Martina, Bjelland, Koppers, Ebecilio, Tadić, Promes, Gutierrez, Castaignos, Børven (Corona 72).

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Mokhtar, Breukers, Eghan, Schilder, Roseler.

GOALS: Promes 18.

BOOKINGS: Koppers 19, Ebecilio 69.

FEYENOORD 1-2 AJAX

Frank de Boer’s Ajax failed to suffer a Europa League hangover to clinch a vital 2-1 win in the De Klassieker on Sunday afternoon. The win virtually eliminates all the other title challengers as Ajax now sit eight points clear at the top of the Eredivisie.

Ronald Koeman’s men suffered a fatal blow in the title race as Feyenoord failed to hold onto a goal lead and Ajax now look set to clinch their fourth consecutive Eredivisie championship.

De Kuip was full to capacity for the 176th Klassieker which saw a great opening goal from Graziano Pellè on the half-hour. The Italian, who was granted permission to play by the KNVB after having a one-match ban for his outburst at Twente last week suspended for a year, powerfully nodded home a Bruno Martins Indi cross for his 19th league goal of the season.

Ajax got back into it and the sides went in level at half-time. Icelandic striker Kolbeinn Sigthórsson equalised on the stroke of half-time after an excellent run into the area from Ricardo Kishna.

Ajax completed their comeback on 72 minutes courtesy of central defender Joël Veltman, who fired home from a scramble after a Lerin Duarte corner.

Ajax are now unbeaten for 14 games in the league and look set to retain their title. Feyenoord, on the other hand, now sit in fourth, four points adrift of second place, which they will need if they dream of Champions League football next year.

After the game, Pelle was interviewed by FOX Sports reporter Jan Joost van Gangelen – if you have not heard about it, it is controversial, click here to read more and view the video.

TEAMS

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Janmaat, De Vrij, Kongolo, Martins Indi, Vilhena, Immers, Clasie (Vormer 78), Boëtius (Goossens 86), Schaken (Te Verde 76), Pellè.

SUBS NOT USED: Lamprou, Mathijsen, Van Beek, Verhoek.

GOALS: Pellè 30.

BOOKINGS: Clasie 50, Te Vrede 77.

AJAX: Cillessen, Van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Blind, Serero (Duarte 64), Polusen, Klaassen, De Jong, Kishna (De Sa 79), Bojan (Sigthórsson 38).

SUBS NOT USED: Vermeer, Riedewald, Denswil, Andersen.

GOALS: Sigthorsson 45, Veltman 72.

BOOKINGS: Veltman 89.

FC GRONINGEN 1-1 SC CAMBUUR

In horrible conditions inside the Euroborg, FC Groningen and SC Cambuur shared the points in a 1-1 draw.

The pitch was heavily waterlogged which left the teams taking to the air when creating chances, however, we had to wait until the second half for goals.

A counter attack brought the first goal just five minutes after the interval when Tjaronn Chery tapped home after from a great run down the left wing by Filip Kostic.

However, the game ended a draw after Elvis Manu, on-loan from Feyenoord, notched a spot-kick on 77 minutes. Referee Kevin Blom had deemed Johan Kappelkof has handballed Jody Lukoki’s cross.

TEAMS

GRONINGEN: Bizot, Hateboer, Burnet, Kapplehof, Botteghin, Hiariej (Van der Velden 79), Kieftenbeld, De Leeuw (Kirm 57), Chery, Kostic, Zeefuik (Zivkovic 83).

SUBS NOT USED: Lei, Van Neiff, Wijnladum, Lindgren.

GOALS: Chery 50.

BOOKINGS: De Leeuw 26, Hiariej 60, Kirm 75, Hateboer 80, Kieftenbeld 90.

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droeste, Leeuwin (Van Boxel 45), Laan, Bijker, Ritzmaier, El Makrini, Van Moorsel (Hemmen 64), Lukoki (Van Brakel 89), Manu, Barto.

SUBS NOT USED: Schepers, Zeinstra, Pereira, Mulders.

GOALS: Manu 77P.

BOOKINGS: Van Moorsel 58.

AZ ALKMAAR 4-0 RKC WAALWIJK

In the final game of the weekend, Dick Adovcaat’s AZ Alkmaar thumped RKC Waalwijk 4-0 at the AFAS Stadion.

The hosts found themselves in front after just nine minutes thanks to defender Jeffrey Gouweleeuw‘s first goal of the season.

Advocaat’s side managed to double their advantage with Nick Viergever adding a second in the 20th minute. This was his third goal in four games for the big central defender.

The lead was extended after the interval with Steven Berghuis doing the damage, scoring in the 48th and 59th minutes to help secure the convincing victory.

With the win, AZ are in seventh and improve their tally to 37 points, while RKC Waalwijk are in the drop zone, two points adrift to safety.

TEAMS

AZ: Esteban, Johansson, Gouweleeuw, Viergever, Poulsen, Gudelj, Ortiz (Gorter 63), Elm, Beerens (Gudmundsson 68), Berghuis (Haye 79), Jóhannsson.

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, Hoedt, Lewis, Reijnen.

GOALS: Gouweleeuw 9, Viergever 20, Berghuis 48 & 59.

BOOKINGS: Gorter 70.

RKC: Šeda, Lamey, Hoevelen, Mosselveld, Amieux, Braber, Anderson (Peltzer 85), Sno, Joachim (Jungschläger 71), Castelen (Beauguel 74), Schet.

SUBS NOT USED: Van Dijk, Ivens, Apau, Duits.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Lamey 39, Anderson 75.

Click here to view our Eredivisie page with the league standings, next fixtures and top scorers.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 26 – SUNDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

March 2, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Will Burns has nailed TEN OUT OF LAST TEN tips and after making a lot of people rich he’s back with his selections for the Eredivisie for Sunday’s games and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Sunday 2nd March

FC UTRECHT vs. FC TWENTE (11:30 GMT)

Last weekend, a narrow 1-0 win over FC Groningen stopped an unwanted eight game winless streak for Jan Wouters’ FC Utrecht, but today they face a stern test in second-place FC Twente.

Ajax are six points ahead of Twente, so Michel Jansen needs to pick up wins especially as the Amsterdammers face Feyenoord this weekend, to put some pressure back on Frank de Boer.

I can see Twente winning this comfortably, they currently have the best player in the league in Serbian playmaker Dušan Tadić, who has been on fire since the turn of the year. Place him supply Quincy Promes and Luc Castaignos and I cannot see Utrecht handling that three-pronged attack.

Look for Twente to win by at least two goals at a massive 7/4 with Bet Victor.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Twente -1 (7/4 – BetVictor)

FEYENOORD vs. AJAX (13:30 GMT)

In the De Klassieker on Sunday afternoon, Feyenoord host Ajax in a true six pointer. With Ronald Koeman knowing that a win would take them within six points of the leaders.

Ajax displayed two horror shows in Europe with a 3-0 home defeat to Salzburg and losing 3-1 in the return leg in Austria, which showed some weaknesses that De Boer must deal with. The 4-0 win over AZ Alkmaar last weekend domestically will be thrown the out the window come Sunday.

The Amsterdammers head into the cauldron known as De Kuip, and the partisan Rotterdam crowd will be even louder for this match which is one of the most heated rivals in world football.

The defending champions are depleted with first-team stars like Lasse Schöne, Thulani Serero and Viktor Fischer missing through injury. De Boer will be hoping Lerin Duarte and Bojan (on-loan from Barcelona) step up their game after disappointing campaign so far, although Duarte’s two goals last weekend has gone some way in repaying his manager.

I feel Feyenoord will nick this with a narrow victory. Graziano Pelle is still scoring consistently, the bite of Jordy Clasie in the midfield could silence the attempts of Davy Klaassen. The Ajax defence may be too occupied by Pelle to give Jean-Paul Boëtius, Ruben Schaken, Lex Immers attention and the temptation to shoot on sight may give Japser Cillessen in goal a hard day in the Ajax goal.

It could be the two legs like the Salzburg games, relived for Frank de Boer. Feyenoord to win is 6/5 at Betfair and that is a price we cannot ignore.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Feyenoord to win (6/5 – Betfair)

FC GRONINGEN vs. SC CAMBUUR (13:30 GMT)

SC Cambuur have failed to win their last 12 away matches in Eredivisie, but today I feel it changes. After viewing their last few games, they look a real attacking threat going forward.

FC Groningen are experiencing a poor season with just one win in six games, which was an uninspiring 1-0 home win over Go Ahead Eagles. Last weekend, they helped FC Utrecht end their winless streak as mentioned earlier, so it is safe to say, they are not playing well.

I see Cambuur finally getting the away win and at a HUGE 14/5 offered at Bet365, this win could be massively profitable for anyone gambling on it.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Cambuur to win (14/5 – Bet365)

AZ ALKMAAR vs. RKC WAALWIJK (15:30 GMT)

AZ are the last remaining Eredivisie side in Europe after eliminating Czech side Slovan Liberec midweek so they may be a little tired when hosting RKC Waalwijk on Sunday.

I look at the goals in this game and especially at RKC Waalwijk. Although Dick Advocaat’s side are not great scorers in 2014, only 11 goals scored in eight games I see Over 3.5 Goals in this game mainly due to RKC’s record in the last few games.

RKC coach Erwin Koeman announced this week he would be stepping down as manager at the end of this season so this may affect he team and help AZ’s goal tally. There has been at least four goals in all the last four RKC games. Drawing 2-2 with Go Ahead, they defeated Utrecht 5-2, they were then turned over 3-1 by NEC and last weekend, handed a 3-1 loss by Vitesse.

Our best bet will see this run continue into the fifth game with Over 3.5 Goals valued at 11/8 by our friends at BetVictor.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 3.5 Goals (11/8 – Bet Victor)

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EREDIVISIE

Week 26 Eredivisie Report: Fulham’s forgotten man does it again for PSV

March 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Bryan Ruiz, PSV striker on loan from Fulham, scored an stoppage time winner in a spirited comeback that saw the Eindhoven side defeat Go Ahead Eagles in a five goal thriller.

Saturday 1st March 2014

PEC ZWOLLE 3-3 NEC NIJMEGEN

Six goals were exchanged in Saturday’s opening game where PEC Zwolle and NEC Nijmegen played out an entertaining 3-3 draw.

Ron Jans’ Zwolle are pushing for a top-eight finish and they found themselves two goals ahead after only 35 minutes. On-loan striker Guyon Fernandez scored after just six minutes after the striker was put through on goal by a defence-splitting ball by Mateusz Klich.

The Polish midfielder got himself on the scoresheet on 35 minutes scoring from a free-kick around 40 yards out. Mateusz Klich whipped a dangerous ball into the box but it missed everyone and sailed past Karl-Johan Johnsson in goal.

The visitors grabbed a goal back just before half-time when Søren Rieks blasted home from outside the box after Zwolle failed to clear a corner.

After the interval, the scores were tired with Englishman Michael Higdon notching his 10th goal of the season. Full-back Marnick Vermijl, loaned from Manchester United, surged into the box from the right wing and laid the ball on a plate for the Scouser to tap home.

Zwolle regained the lead just before the hour mark after defender Joost Broerse fired a long range effort past Johnsson but on 69 minutes the scores were levelled again. Danish midfielder Søren Rieks firing home inside the area from a Kevin Conboy cross deep on the left-wing.

Neither side could find a winning goal and the point means Ron Jans’ side are now in eighth place while NEC remain deep in the drop zone second bottom.

TEAMS

PEC ZWOLLE: Boer, Van Polen, Van der Werff, Van Hintum, Broerse, Saymak (Gravenbeek 90), Drost, Klich, Karagounis (Narsingh 56), Fernandez (Benson 71), Thomas.

SUBS NOT USED: Begios, Mahmudov, Hiwat, Pereira.

GOALS: Fernandez 6, Klich 35, Broerse 57.

BOOKINGS: None.

NEC: Johnsson, Van Eijden, Nielsen, Conboy, Vermijl, Koolwijk, Rieks, Štefánik, Higdon, Foor (Jantscher 65), Jahanbakhsh.

SUBS NOT USED: Gentenaar, Haitz, Hemlein, Disveld, Leiwakabessy, Castillion.

GOALS: Rieks 43 & 69, Higdon 46.

BOOKINGS: Van Eijden 14, Štefánik 84.

ADO DEN HAAG 1-1 NAC BREDA

ADO and NAC shared the points in a 1-1 draw as the hosts missed the opportunity to climb out of the relegation places.

After a goal-less first half, the visitors took the lead with Elson Hooi running onto an excellent through ball by Rydell Poepon and poking the ball past Robert Zwinkels on 55 minutes.

ADO’s Roland Alberg hit a replay just after the hour mark capitalising on a terrible mix-up in the by NAC defender Sepp De Roover. After the Belgian failed to hoof the ball clear, and Alberg steered in front of the defender to poke home.

The point moves ADO (15th) onto 28 points and extends their unbeaten run to four games. Breda on the other hand sit in tenth on 32 points, where the win in this game would have took them into the top eight.

TEAMS

ADO: Zwinkles, Wormgoor, Beugelsdijk, Meijers, Zuiverloon, Malone, Holla, Bakker (Van Haaren 76), Van Duinen, Schet (Wildschut 59 (Kanon 90+1)), Alberg.

SUBS NOT USED: Coutinho, Gehrt, Merencia, Cabral.

GOALS: Alberg 63.

BOOKINGS: None.

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, De Roover, Drost, Buijs, Van der Weg, Matic, Suk (Swerts 90+3), Seuntjens, Tighadouini (Kwakman 78), Poepon, Verbeek (Hooi 45).

SUBS NOT USED: Sarpong, El Allouchi, Babos, Bodor.

GOALS: Hooi 55.

BOOKINGS: Poepon 77.

GO AHEAD EAGLES 2-3 PSV

PSV came back from two goals down in Deventer on Saturday evening to defeat the Go Ahead Eagles in a five-goal thriller.

The hosts exploded out of the blocks and scored after just 51 seconds of play. After great link-up the ball arrived to Xander Houtkoop on the left wing who fired the ball across the goal for Jarchinio Antonia to slot home at the back post. Some of the fans inside the Adelaarshorst were yet to take to their seats before the goal.

It was two on 25 minutes with Erik Falkenburg grabbing the second with a lovely finish inside the area. After a mix-up with Stijn Schaars just inside his own half, Jeffrey Rijsdijk pounced on the ball and outsprinted the PSV midfielder. Rijsdijk pulled the ball back to Falkenburg who spun in the box and finished past Jeroen Zoet.

Philip Cocu, after leading his side to four wins in a row, trudged down the tunnel at half-time with his sides two goals down. His team-talk must have worked a treat as PSV emerged for the second-half and went onto win the fifth game in succession.

Memphis Depay scored a screamer to give the Eindhoven side hope on 49 minutes. A left-footed power effort that flew into Stephan Andersen’s goal giving the Danish goalkeeper no chance of stopping.

With just over 20 minutes of the game remaining, the visitors levelled the score after the Eagles defence failed to clear the ball from a long throw. Ruiz collected the loose ball and continued in the area until the ball fell perfectly for Jürgen Locadia to fire home from close range.

Cocu urged his team on as PSV pressed for the winning goal but the glory did not arrive until the final minute of the game. PSV used great possession play to control the game and when Schaars caught full-back Santiago Arias bombing down the right, he played the young Colombian in. Arias fired the ball across the goal for Bryan Ruiz to flick home to steal all three points.

Five wins out of five for Cocu and the win means they site just five points of second place which could earn them Champions League football next season.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Andersen, Amevor, Van der Linden, Schenk (Haps 75), Schmidt, Overgoor, Turuc, Rijsdijk (Kolder 72), Antonia (Godee 84), Houtkoop, Falkenburg.

SUBS NOT USED: Ter Mate, Azevedo, Lambooij, Pot.

GOALS: Antonia 1, Falkenburg 25.

BOOKINGS: Van der Linden 61.

PSV: Zoet, Jorgensen, Rekik, Arias, Willems, Schaars, Hiljemark, Park (Maher 76), Depay, Ruiz, Locadia (Matavz 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Narsingh, Bakkali, Brenet, Hendrix.

GOALS: Depay 49, Locadia 67, Ruiz 90.

BOOKINGS: None.

VITESSE 3-0 RODA JC

Vitesse looked to back to their best as they temporarily moved back into second position in the Eredivisie on Saturday night. It was a double from Japanese international Mike Havenaar that helped them to a 3-0 win over ten-man Roda.

Peter Bosz side found the lead after just 14 minutes with Mike Havenaar scoring from a back-post header. On-loan Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu gave Martijn Monteyne a torrid time, twisting and turning the defender before crossing to the far post where it met Havenaar’s header.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side are now without a win in six matches and their chances were dealt a blow just before the half-hour when referee Richard Liesveld sent off Roly Bonevacia for a professional foul on Havenaar. Marko Vejinovic curled home the resulting free-kick around 25 yards out.

Havenaar completed the scoring with 15 minutes remaining finishing a good move created by Davy Pröpper.

Defeat leaves Roda bottom of the table, six points from safety after ADO had earlier collected a point against NAC Breda.

TEAMS

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Achenteh, Van der Struijk (Qazaishvili 64), Kashia, Vejinovic, Pröpper, Labyad (Piazón 64), Havenaar, Atsu (Traoré 80) , Ibarra.

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Mori, Djurdjevic, Vink.

GOALS: Havenaar 14 & 76, Vejinovic 29.

BOOKINGS: Kashia 38, Atsu 53.

RODA: Kurto, Monteyne, Van Peppen, Bonevacia, Letschert, Höcher, Donald, Kali, Sutchuin (De Beule 68), Hupperts (Paulissen 40), Nemeth (Powel 80).

SUBS NOT USED: Dijkhuizen, Jacobs, Prus, Pluim.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Donald 13, Van Peppen 45, De Beule 76.

SENT OFF: Bonevacia 27.

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KNVB, NETHERLANDS, ORANJE

Hiddink to return as Oranje coach in summer

March 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Guus Hiddink stated last night that he and the KNVB have agreed a deal to take over the Netherlands national team once again after the World Cup this summer and will compile an all-star cast to help him.

Hiddink is set to replace Louis van Gaal after the World Cup in Brazil, as Van Gaal has already announced he will step down after the tournament. Hiddink returns after already having a previous four year tenure with Holland in 1994-1998, leading a young Dutch squad to the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup finals in France, where they lost a penalty shootout to Brazil. One of the Dutchman’s greatest achievements in international football was leading South Korea to an unanticipated semi-final berth in the 2002 World Cup finals.

The Dutchman has not been involved in club management since leaving Russian Premier League side Anzhi Makhachkala last year. Hiddink as of late, has been acting as an advisor at PSV Eindhoven, where he is held in high regard at the club, helping Phillip Cocu lead the team to four wins in their last four outings.

The 67-year-old is set to amass all former Dutch internationals as his staff below him to lead the Oranje into the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Speaking to NOS Sport, Hiddink said: “I am working with the KNVB to create a great coaching line-up around me and we will need a few days or maybe a couple of weeks to compile such a team.

“They will be a great team. I will not be a free-wheeling coach. When I do something, I want to do it as well to my ability, otherwise I would not choose to do it.”

The return of Hiddink leading the national squad again is a mouth-watering prospect especially with all the young talent that Van Gaal has brought in over the past few years in charge. The future definitely looks good for the Oranje.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 26 – SATURDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

March 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

After nailing his last three tips at 8/5, 10/3 and 11/5 – Will Burns returns with his selections for the Eredivisie for Saturday games and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Saturday 1st March

PEC ZWOLLE vs. NEC NIJMEGEN (17:45 GMT)

Ron Jans’ Zwolle braces himself today for the visit of a NEC Nijmegen fighting for Eredivisie survival. The Nijmegen side sit 17th even thought they have only been defeated twice in 2014.

Indeed in the eight games so far in 2014, Anton Janssen has lead his side to three wins and three draws with losses coming to Eredivisie heavyweights Feyenoord (5-1) and PSV (2-0) and this is why I am backing them to grab a vital point in Zwolle this evening.

Zwolle sit in eighth place desperate to hold onto a Europa League playoff place but after holding league leaders Ajax to a 1-1 draw three weeks ago, they fell 3-1 in Cambuur and had to grab a late equaliser to snatch a point last weekend at home to Heracles. Not the greatest performances and I see 13/5 offered at Bet365 for the draw our best bet of the day.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (13/5 – Bet365)

ADO DEN HAAG vs. NAC BREDA (18:45 GMT)

NAC Breda travel to Den Haag this evening knowing that they are not out of the relegation quagmire as of yet. Although they sit in 10th spot they are only five points from the drop zone.

ADO are 15th, one place above the dreaded three bottom spots and his is due to really struggling to find the net as of late only scoring seven goals in the last six games and not notching in three of those matches.

NAC also have only scored seven in six games and I see our best bet for these two to struggle in front of goal again today. Bet365 are offering 11/10 for Under 2.5 Goals and this is a price too good to miss for this game I see being the borefest of the weekend.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Under 2.5 Goals (11/10 – Bet365)

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. PSV (18:45 GMT)

Phillip Cocu takes his PSV side to Deventer tonight to face Go Ahead in search of their fifth consecutive win with still a glimmer of hope of finishing second in the Eredivisie to qualify for Champions League football next term.

Once again, I look at goals in this game and although PSV are improving they are missing a vital player at the back today as Jeffrey Bruma will be missing in central defence. Nineteen-year-old Jorrit Hendrix will replace the former Chelsea man and I can see PSV conceding to the Eagles.

The Eagles, are just two points above the relegation places and they aim this season is to consolidate their top-flight position. Young midfielder Deniz Türüç pulls the strings in the Go Ahead attacks and he will need to be on form today if they hope to get anything against PSV.

Looking at the prices today, Over 3.5 Goals offered at 6/5 by Bet Victor looks to be the best bet in this match.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 3.5 Goals (6/5 – BetVictor)

VITESSE vs. RODA JC (19:45 GMT)

Jon Dahl Tomasson has a huge task ahead as his Roda side looked doomed, rock bottom of the league five points adrift of safety and unfortunately for the young Danish manager, I do not see it getting any better for him today.

Goals have been hard to find for Roda, with just three goals in the last seven games it is not looking good for the remainder of the season.

Vitesse suffered a blip at the start of the year but a great home win last week against RKC (3-1), with a weakened side, should give them some confidence. I cannot see Roda scoring today, but they cannot stop the talent of the young Chelsea lads – Christian Atsu, Lucas Piazón and Bertrand Traore.

Our best bet in this one is Vitesse to win but keep a clean sheet with is a massive 11/10 at Bet365.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Vitesse to win to nil (11/10 – Bet365)

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EREDIVISIE

Week 26 Eredivisie Report: Heracles fail in front of goal

February 28, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Friday 28th February 2014

HERACLES 1-2 HEERENVEEN

Heracles head coach Jan de Jonge will be cursing his forward line tonight as he witnessed many missed opportunities as his team were defeated by Heerenveen by two goals to one.

Heracles dominated the early proceedings as they were roared on by a loud capacity inside the Polman Stadion. Marco van Basten’s men found it hard to get their game together and misplaced pass after pass.

The hosts gained a deserving lead with a magnificent free-kick from Oussama Tannane, scoring against the club he left in the summer. On 26 minutes, after a foul on Simon Cziommer by Joey van den Berg, Tannane stepped up from 30 yards out and curled a left foot shot past the stretched out Kristoffer Nordfeldt.

Heracles were not in front for long as Van Basten’s side grabbed an equaliser against the run of play and it was another set-piece that provide the goal. Hakim Ziyech whipped in a dangerous ball from deep and Marten de Roon slipped the marking of Mikhail Rosheuvel to nod into Remko Pasveer’s goal.

Heracles stepped up their game and pressed for the lead before half-time but unfortunately after only getting a total of six out of 17 shots on target, the goal never came.

After the break, Alfred Finnbogason stopped his goal drought of no goals in TWO games on 49 minutes. It was great build up play on the counter attack that ended with De Roon lofting a ball over the top for Rajiv van La Parra on the left wing. Van La Parra forced a save from Pasveer, but the rebound fell kindly for the Icelandic striker to notch his 22nd goal in 23 appearances. His unbelievable scoring record continues as he has hit 22 of his teams 53 goals in this Eredivisie campaign.

Near the end of time, Van Basten was foaming with referee Jeroen Manschot and his fellow match officials when Heracles defender Bart Schenkeveld intentionally shouldered Ziyech down to the ground. As the player was running onto the ball, the defender stood firm and clattered the midfielder, who was replaced later in the game with a head injury. Although the officials missed it but the TV cameras did not. This would have been the defender’s second yellow card.

Heracles had a golden chance in the final moments but substitute Matthew Amoah dragged a shot wide from around 8 yards out. Heerenveen stay in sixth, just a point away from PSV in fifth while Heracles are in 11th on 30 points, just four away from the drop zone.

TEAMS

HERACLES: Pasveer, Rienstra, Davidson, Schenkeveld, Koenders (Amoah 81), Quansah, Bel Hassani (Bruns 78), Cziommer. Uth, Tannane, Rosheuvel.

SUBS NOT USED: Telgenkamp, Navratil, Gyasi, Rienstra, Belterman.

GOALS: Tannane 26.

BOOKINGS: Schenkeveld 67.

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Dijks (Marzo 64), Kum, Kruiswijk, Van Anholt, Van den Berg, De Roon. Ziyech (De Kamps 87), Fazli, Finnbogason, Van La Parra (Sinkgraven 90+3).

SUBS NOT USED: Vandenbussche, Otigba, Lurling, Varga.

GOALS: De Roon 36, Finnbogason 49.

BOOKINGS: Van den Berg 51.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 26 – FRIDAY’S PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

February 28, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Tipster Will Burns is back with his picks for the Eredivisie this Friday’s game and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Friday 28th February

HERACLES vs. HEERENVEEN (19:00 GMT)

Heracles will host Heerenveen on Friday night as they look for their first win in three games.

Marco van Basten welcomes Hakim Ziyech, Marten de Roon and Joey van den Berg back from suspension and all three will be set to return to the starting line-up. Speaking of suspensions, Heracles are without dangerman Bryan Linssen and defender Mike te Weirek due to bookings they picked up last weekend at PEC Zwolle.

Although Heracles were unlucky not to win that game and conceded a late equaliser, I cannot see them getting anything in this one. Heerenveen will be too strong and at 11/5, the price offered by our friends at BetVictor, this is a bet we cannot ignore and hopefully get our weekend off to a good start.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Heerenveen to win (11/5 – BetVictor) – Click here to bet on this market and receive up to £25 in free bets.

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EUROPA LEAGUE

Ajax eliminated as AZ progress

February 27, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Ajax are eliminated after tasting another defeat at the hands of Red Bull Salzburg, meanwhile, AZ Alkmaar held Slovan Liberec to a draw to continue on into the Last 16.

Thursday 27th February 2014

RED BULL SALZBURG 3-1 AJAX

(Salzburg win 6-1 on agg)

Ajax ended up conceding another three goals to crash out at the expense of a far superior Red Bull Salzburg side over the two legs. The Austrians now go on to face a last 16 tie against Swiss champions FC Basel.

Salzburg coach Roger Schmidt named an unchanged side that inflicted a 3-0 defeat onto Frank de Boer’s side last Thursday. As the Ajax coach saw the game as an opportunity to rest some players for Sunday’s De Klassieker. He left usual central defensive pairing Joël Veltman and Niclas Moisander on the bench with Mike van der Hoorn and Stefano Denswil starting.

The hosts dominated the early proceedings and had a golden opportunity to go in front after just 11 minutes in. Brazilian striker Alan lofted a perfect ball over the Ajax defence as Kevin Kampl beat the offside trap with a wonderful run. Bearing down on goal with the ball still bouncing, the Slovenian midfielder defeated the on-rushing Jasper Cillessen with a chip. Unfortunately for Kampl, the ball bounced back up onto the crossbar as Denswil headed the rebound away.

The Austrians kept pressing and in the 17th minute, Alan should have given Salzburg the lead. The Brazilian scored a second-half hat-trick at the weekend against Admira, but after he was put through by a defence-splitting Christoph Leitgeb ball, the striker dragged his shot wide.

Ajax has created their first real chance on 22 minutes after some good work down the right wing from full-back Ricardo van Rhijn. The Dutch international whipped a great ball in for Kolbeinn Sigthórsson at the front post, and after the Icelander got in front of Andre Ramalho, goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi tipped the ball wide.

Salzburg full-back Andreas Ulmer was causing trouble down the left and on 35 minutes, he flashed a shot across the goal from an acute angle after outsprinting Christian Poulsen. Minutes later, at the other end, Lesley de Sa in a similar move, forced a save out of Gulácsi but eventually the teams went in at half-time goal-less.

Ten minutes after the restart, the scoring opened and it was an unfortunate own goal from Mike van der Hoorn. Jonathan Soriano, smashed a low cross into the box and the big defender tried to cut it out but diverted it straight into Cillessen’s path. The Dutch international goalkeeper failed to get a grip of the ball and spilled it into the goal to give Salzburg the 1-0 lead.

The lead was doubled ten minutes later with Sadio Mané latched on yet another Leitgeb through ball and due to Denswil giving the Senegalese striker far too much space, he sprinted on and finished past Cillessen in style. The young defender should have been a lot sharper and tighter to the striker.

In the 77th minute, Jonathan Soriano could not miss after he laid on a plate by Mané. After Ulmer had robbed De Sa of the ball high up the pitch, the left-back played in the Senegalese striker who fired a ball to the back post where the Spaniard could tap home with ease. All too easy for Salzburg.

Davy Klaassen notched a consolation goal for the Amsterdammers but it they were once again swept away by the Austrian Bundesliga leaders. A bad result for Dutch double as their strongest team head of the competition at last 32 stage.

De Boer will now head to Rotterdam on Sunday to face Ronald Koeman’s Feyenoord, who will have seen more weaknesses unveiled by Salzburg to prey on.

TEAMS

SALZBURG: Gulácsi, Schwegler (Klein 89), Ulmer (Svento 79), Hinteregger, Ramalho, Mané, Ilsanker, Leitgeb, Kampl, Soriano, Alan (Zulj 73).

SUBS NOT USED: Walke, Meilinger, Schiemer, Berisha.

GOALS: Van der Hoorn 56OG, Mané 66, Soriano 77.

BOOKINGS: Ramalho 43.

AJAX: Cillessen, Van Rhijn, Van der Hoorn, Denswil, Blind, Poulsen (Riedewald 63), De Jong (Bojan 63), Klaassen, Duarte (Andersen 78), Sigthórsson, De Sa.

SUBS NOT USED: Vermeer, Veltman, Moisander, Kishna.

GOALS: Klaassen 82.

BOOKINGS: Poulsen 27, Denswil 48.

AZ ALKMAAR 1-1 SLOVAN LIBEREC

(AZ win 2-1 on agg)

Dick Advocaat’s AZ Alkmaar had no problem reaching the last 16 with another win over Czech side Slovan Liberec. Alkmaar will now face a two-legged affair with Russian side Anzhi in the next round, as the last remaining Eredivisie side in European competition this season.

Advocaat’s side dominated early proceedings and should have been a goal to the good in the first 15 minutes when Etienne Reijnen emerged down the right but his pass was blasted over the crossbar by US striker Aron Jóhannsson.

The hosts took a 19th minute lead with Nick Viergever, scorer from the first leg, notching again. The defender lost his marker to nod home a Nemanja Gudelj corner to give his side a 2-0 aggregate lead.

Yevhen Budnik scored from close range on 77 minutes to level the game up, but the Czechs were unable to find a late winner to progress onto the last 16.

AZ are still yet to be defeated in the Europa League this season but face a tough trip to Russia to face Anzhi, who has not been performing well in the Russian Premier League this season.

TEAMS

AZ: Esteban, Reijnen, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Viergever, Gudelj, Ortiz, Elm, Gudmundsson, Jóhannsson (Lewis 75), Beerens (Poulsen 87).

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, Johansson, Gorter, Henriksen, Berghuis.

GOALS: Viergever 19.

BOOKINGS: Gouweleeuw 48, Viergever 63, Lewis 79.

LIBEREC: Hrosso, Coufal, Kovac, Rajnoch, Fleisman, Sural, Jarolim (Pimpara 69), Rybalka, Frydek (Dijka 31), Pavelka, Budnik (Kolar 83).

SUBS NOT USED: Kovar, Karisik, Pokorny, Novotny.

GOALS: Budnik 72.

BOOKINGS: Sural 41, Coufal 44, Budnik 68.

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