Category Archives: EREDIVISIE

West Brom, West Ham on guard as Feyenoord set to sell star striker

March 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

It is understood that Feyenoord are willing to cash in on top scorer Graziano Pellè after his latest misbehaviour. Which may make a flurry of Premier League and Serie A clubs vie for the striker’s signature.

Pellè has been in prolific form ever since his permanent transfer from Parma in 2013 netting twenty goals in 24 appearances in Eredivisie so far this campaign. Also, last season, the Italian netted 25 times while on loan from Parma and made the move to the Netherlands permanent in the summer for a reported €3 million.

However, the relationship between player and the Rotterdam club have turned sour and Voetbal international report that Feyenoord director Martin van Gaal is evaluating whether to sell their star striker after a series of negative incidents cast doubts over his temperament.

The striker was recently stripped of the captaincy after he appeared to throw an elbow at Ajax defender Joel Veltman in Feyenoord’s 2-1 loss in De Klassieker two weeks ago. In the post match interview, he insulted Fox Sports reporter Jan Joost van Gangelen and stated that he was an Ajax fan and he had “the face of an Ajax supporter”.

News of a potential sale will alert the likes of West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United and also many clubs back in Italy, who were reported to have been tracking Pellè in the winter transfer window.

The news that new Feyenoord manager next season, Fred Rutten, will have to sell first if he wishes to strengthen the squad for next year’s Eredivisie campaign may mean it’s more likely that Pellè will be on his way.

It would make sense that a 28-year-old would be moved on, rather than sell young talent like Jordy Clasie, Bruno Martins Indi or Jean-Paul Boëtius, whom they may be able to cash in for more profits in future years.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

Week 28 Eredivisie Report: PSV up to third

March 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

PSV extended their winning run to seven games in a row with a great 2-1 win away to Vitesse to lift the Eindhoven side up to third in the league, leaving Philip Cocu thinking… what could his side achieved this season without the mid-season blip he suffered before Christmas.

Saturday 15th March 2014

VITESSE 1-2 PSV

In a ferocious high-octane game where nine yellow cards were handed out by referee Kevin Blom, PSV defeated Vitesse 2-1 in the loud and raucous GelreDome.

PSV needed no inspiration for this fixture after suffering an embarrassing and heavy 6-2 defeat in the reserve fixture at the Phillips Stadion back in December, the Boeren headed into Arnhem looking for revenge. Cocu men’s exploded out of the blocks and got off to a great start after just six minutes.

Vitesse’s number one Piet Velthuizen received a back pass from Rochdi Achenteh and the experienced goalkeeper stuttered with his kicked clearance as Jürgen Locadia closed down. Velthuizen miss-kicked the boot up field and the ball fell perfectly for Locadia to tap the ball home. Not the start Vitesse manager Peter Bosz would have wanted.

PSV were relentless as they sensed Vitesse’s nervousness and on a six game winning streak and brimming with confidence, Cocu’s men pressed for a quick fire second. The usually composed Guram Kashia lost the ball to Locadia on the edge of the box but Memphis Depay unusually failed to get a shot off and let the Vitesse defenders recover and block any efforts on goal.

The hosts began to keep the PSV attacks at bay and calmed themselves down before former PSV midfielder Zakaria Labyad equalised on 19 minutes with a tremendous effort from outside the area. After Kashia laid the January signing on the edge of the box, the PSV defenders were too late in closing Labyad down and he curled his right footed shot past Jeroen Zoet.

Just before the half-hour, the visitors regained the lead in controversial fashion. After a great run down the left wing from Jetro Willems, the left-back was fouled by Jan-Arie van der Heijden in the area and Kevin Blom pointed to the spot. Replays showed that Willems had skipped Van der Heijden’s challenged but the defender trailing arm looked to brush the PSV’s man legs and Willems went down a tad easy.

Memphis Depay stepped up to the take the spot-kick and blasted his shot straight down the middle only to see his effort saved by the legs of Velthuizen. The rebound flicked up high to the back post where Ji-Sung Park headed the ball back across goal so Depay could nod home to make it 2-1.

Velthuizen and his defence protested as they thought that Depay was offside when Park’s header came back to the winger but video showed that the linesman may have made the right decision even though it was a close one. The GelreDome exploded in anger with spurred the home side on and they instantly pressed for an equalising goal.

After the break, the game continued as the first half ended with Vitesse on the all out attack. The defence of Santiago Arias, Jeffrey Bruma, Karim Rekik and Willems held strong and protected their goalkeeper Zoet well, blocking effort after effort, frustrating the hosts even further.

On the hour mark, both sides looked tired as the tempo died down and Depay was replaced by Luciano Narsingh as the young winger has caught an elbow from Renato Ibarra and was groggy as a black eye started to create on Depay’s face.

The game petered out as Vitesse pressed but hardly bothered Zoet in the PSV goal, apart from the odd cross that the Oranje goalkeeper assertively caught every time. They had their chances but Bruma and Rekik stopped any shot before it made to their stopper in goal.

In the dying embers of the game, substitute Lucas Piazón had a glorious opportunity to snatch a point for his side but fluffed his chance as Philip Cocu celebrated his seventh win in a row on the touchline.

PSV temporarily move into third with just two points off Vitesse in second but Twente or/and Feyenoord could leapfrog them with wins in their fixtures tomorrow.

TEAMS

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Van der Struijk (Piazón 69), Kashia, Van der Heijden, Achenteh, Vejinovic, Pröpper, Labyad (Djurdjevic 85), Atsu, Havenaar, Ibarra (Qazaishvili 69).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Mori, Traore, Van Aanholt.

GOALS: Labyad 18.

BOOKINGS: Ibarra 14, Van der Heijden 28, Havenaar 29, Labyad 33, Achenteh 57.

PSV: Zoet, Arias, Rekik, Bruma, Willems, Schaars, Hiljemark, Park (Maher 79), Ruiz, Depay (Narsingh 69), Locadia (Hendrix 90+4).

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Zanka Jørgensen, Brenet, Matavz.

GOALS: Locadia 7, Depay 29.

BOOKINGS: Park 32, Bruma 42, Schaars 56, Willems 74.

HERACLES 2-1 RODA JC

The in-form Bryan Linssen has now scored nine goals in his last nine games as he notched a brace to lead Heracles to a 2-1 win over the relegation troubled Roda JC.

Roda headed into Almelo with their first win in seven games last weekend against NEC and they started well with Guus Hupperts scoring his eighth goal of the season after quarter of an hour gone. The 21-year-old had the goal put on a plate from after Mitchell Donald combined with Berry Powel before setting up Hupperts to score.

Just before the interval, Heracles settle down their restless crowd with the equalising goal. After some great work down the left by Mark Uth, the ball was played into Bryan Linssen on the penalty spot to slot the ball past Filip Kurto to send the fans in at half-time happy.

With 12 minutes left remaining in the game, Linssen popped up with the winner after some slack tired Roda defending. Collecting Jason Davidson’s pass, the Heracles’ top scorer netted with a lovely calm low finish on the turn inside the area, giving Kurto no chance of stopping.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Roda sit down in the drop zone in 17th, five points adrift of safety with other relegation candidates Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles still to play tomorrow. The win lifted Heracles up into 12th place, six points ahead of the bottom three.

TEAMS

HERACLES: Pasveer, Schenkeveld, Streutker (Quansah 45), Davidson, Te Wierik, Rienstra, Tannane, Cziommer (Bruns 45), Rosheuvel (Bel Hassani 84), Linssen, Uth.

SUBS NOT USED: Telgenkamp, Amoah, Van Dijk, Belterman.

GOALS: Linssen 43 & 78.

BOOKINGS: Tannane 54.

RODA: Kurto, Ramos, Van Peppen, Letschert (Monteyne 87), Luijckx, Höcher (Fledderus 68), Donald (Demouge 80), Kali, Sutchuin, Hupperts, Powel.

SUBS NOT USED: Dijkhuizen, Prus, Paulissen, Bonevacia.

GOALS: Hupperts 14.

BOOKINGS: Donald 54.

ADO DEN HAAG 2-1 FC GRONINGEN

ADO has got that ‘Fraser’ feeling as caretaker manager Henk Fraser has now lead his side to three wins and three draws in his six game in charge and has now surely lead the club out of relegation trouble with today’s 2-1 home win over ten-man FC Groningen.

After a goal-less and dull first-half, it took an Eric Botteghin sending off to liven up the game just past the hour mark. The Brazilian was penalised for pushing Ronald Alberg down while through on goal on the counter. It was a terrible error by referee Reinold Wiedemeijer as he awarded a penalty for the foul but the contact was made well outside the box. Ronald Alberg sent goalkeeper Marco Bizot the wrong way to open the scoring.

On 77 minutes, Groningen’s 17-year-old striker Richairo Zivkovic restored parity with a great strike after Filip Kostic had put the youngster through on goal with a ball over the top of the ADO defence. The youngster set to sign for Ajax in the summer had a ineffective game in the lone striker role before finding the net.

Dion Malone grabbed a 89th minute winner to give the hosts breathing space in their battle for survival. Alberg chipped the ball into Malone’s bearing down on goal for the finish.

TEAMS

ADO: Coutinho, Zuiverloon, Wormgoor, Beugelsdijk, Meijers, Malone, Bakker, Gehrt (Kramer 84), Schet (Van Haaren 90), Van Duinen, Alberg.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkles, Buwalda, Kanon, Merencia, Cabral.

GOALS: Alberg 63, Malone 89.

BOOKINGS: Malone 8, Wormgoor 71, Schet 85.

GRONINGEN: Bizot, Hateboer, Kappelhof, Botteghin, Burnet, Van Nieff (Zeefuik 90+1), Kieftenbeld, Chery, Van der Velden (Kostic 64), Zivkovic, Kirm (Wijnaldum 68).

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Lei, Hiariej, Lindgren, Adorjan.

GOALS: Zivkovic 78.

BOOKINGS: Van Nieff 51, Bizot 62, Hateboer 70, Burnet 90+4.

SENT OFF: Botteghin 61.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 28 – SATURDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

March 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

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

Saturday 15th March

VITESSE vs. PSV (17:45 GMT)

Phillip Cocu and PSV may have finally found his stride and they have eventually started to gel and knocked up six wins on the trot. Vitesse themselves suffered a sticky patch at the beginning of 2014 and have now hit three wins in a row, at least one of the winning streaks will end when they both meet at the GelreDome this Saturday evening.

In undoubtedly the game of the weekend, both sides have different goals. Vitesse are six points behind defending champions Ajax in second, whether PSV are only five points away from Vitesse in second and would love to end up with the Champions League qualification place. This would salvage on what can be classed as a poor season for the Eindhoven side.

Both Peter Bosz and Cocu have virtually full strength squads to choose from and recent history shows that PSV may have Vitesse’s number as the Eindhoven side are undefeated in their last 14 away matches against Vitesse in all competitions.

Watching the last three games for Vitesse we have seen them victorious against relegation contenders RKC and Roda at home and NAC Breda narrowly away last weekend. No great shakes from those three sides so I see PSV a great price at 19/10 at Bet Victor to continue their winning streak to seven in a row.

BEST BET: PSV to win (19/10 – Bet Victor) – Click here to bet on this market and receive up to £25 in free bets.

HERACLES vs. RODA JC (18:45 GMT)

After receiving a 4-0 pasting courtesy of AZ Alkmaar last weekend, Heracles are in real danger of being dragged into the relegation dogfight sitting just three points above the drop zone. Roda are deep into the relegation places and sit four points adrift but will head to Almelo with the confidence of last weekend’s 3-1 win over NEC Nijmegen.

Yes… shock horror… Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side stopped a run of six defeats on the bounce and scored three goals after not finding the net in four games in a row. The returning Guus Hupperts netted twice and he will be a real threat in this game. Heracles will look to Bryan Linssen, who has scored seven goals in his last ten outings to inspire them to victory.

I see the full-time whistle bring blown ending the game with a result neither side will want – a draw. Both need points but I feel this pressure may cause each side to cancel the other out. For the teams to end the game level, Betfair has offered a great 16/5 and I feel this is our best bet for value.

BEST BET: Draw (16/5 – Betfair)

ADO DEN HAAG vs. FC GRONINGEN (18:45 GMT)

Another two sides struggling this season are ADO Den Haag and FC Groningen, they meet on Saturday evening. However, for the home side, caretaker manager Henk Fräser has yet to taste defeat in his first five games.

Due to their decent form, ADO have gradually moved out of the drop zone with two wins and three draws they now sit two points clear of the bottom three. Groningen on the other hand have only won once and lost three in their last six and Edwin van der Looi will be eager to improve their point total of 30, to steer them away from being dragged down to the bottom.

To play it safe and for our best bet I look at the goals market. Groningen have scored just four in the last six outings with ADO going a tad better scoring six in six. If the current form runs on into this game, then we have to look at Under 2.5 Goals as our best bet. The highest price I can find is at Bet Victor at 5/4.

BEST BET: Under 2.5 Goals (5/4 – Bet Victor) – Click here to bet on this market and receive up to £25 in free bets.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

Week 28 Eredivisie Report: Unlucky RKC fall to Cambuur

March 14, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Friday 14th March 2014

SC CAMBUUR 3-2 RKC WAALWIJK

An entertaining Friday night game but not filled with great skills or tactical prowess as defensive and goalkeeping errors were aplenty as Cambuur defeated RKC by three goals to two.

Both sides headed into this game missing vital players in their sides. Cambuur were without on-loan from Ajax, Jody Lukoki has he has collected too many yellow cards in the last few games. RKC’s first choice goalkeeper Jan Šeda nursing an injury, the Czech was dropped to the subs bench for Arjen van Dijk and the visitors missed their natural goalie.

After a shaky start, Van Dijk flapped and was beaten from a Bob Schepers long-range effort on 17 minutes to give the hosts the lead.

There was atrocious goalkeeping at the other end just four minutes later as Damiano Schet tackled the ball away from Leonard Nienhuis’ feet after the Cambuur keeper was dwelling inside the area. Schet slotted the ball home in the empty net as the embarrassment filled Nienhuis’ expression.

Just before half-time it was the turn of the RKC defenders to make themselves look awful after failing to clear their lines and letting Martijn Barto nabbing his fourth goal of the season two minutes before the break.

The visitors took control of the second half and pressed and pressed and after seeing shots blocked and headed off the line, the score was tied on 66 minutes. The hosts failed to deal with some great footwork down the left from Robert Braber, the midfielder teed up French striker Jean-David Beauguel perfectly to side foot home to make it 2-2.

Another mistake lead to the final goal on 84 minutes and it was painful to watch if you were a RKC fan. Elvis Manu, on-loan from Feyenoord, notched the winner latching onto the ball to tap home after substitute Michael Lamey dawdled on the ball waiting his keeper to collect. Errors like these send teams into relegation trouble as Erwin Koeman’s RKC are as troubled as anyone right now sitting two adrift from safety in 16th.

In all fairness tonight, on the second-half performance, RKC deserve to leave the Cambuurstadion with at least a point.

TEAMS

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Van der Laan, Bijker, Van Moorsel (Ogbeche 81), El Makrini, Leeuwin, Ritzmaier, Schepers (Hemmen 62), Barto, Manu (Dijkstra 89).

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Van Boxel, Pereira, Mulders.

GOALS: Schepers 17, Barto 43, Manu 84.

BOOKINGS: Manu 24.

RKC: Van Dijk, Apau (Lamey 75), Van Weert, Van Hoevelen, Amieux, Sno, Braber, Duits, Castelen, Beauguel (Joachim 85), D. Schet (Peltzer 87).

SUBS NOT USED: Šeda, Ivens, Van Mosselveld, Anderson.

GOALS: Schet 21, Beauguel 66.

BOOKINGS: Duits 47.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 28 – FRIDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIP

March 13, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

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

Friday 14th March

SC CAMBUUR vs. RKC WAALWIJK (19:00 GMT)

Now undefeated for five games, Dwight Lodeweges’ SC Cambuur faces RKC Waalwijk in the Friday night game but without two of their star attackers.

Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche is still missing through injury but the ultrafast Jody Lukoki, on-loan from Ajax, is suspended after picking up too many bookings. On the plus side, Cambuur head into this game oozing with confidence after taking the game to defending champions and league leaders Ajax last weekend and coming away from the Amsterdam Arena with a 1-1 draw.

Their opponents RKC have an abysmal away record this season having failed to win 12 of their last 13 away matches in the league. However, RKC do have a good record against the boys from Leeuwarden, as they are undefeated in their last six matches against Cambuur in all competitions.

Cambuur have found the net in every single game in 2014 and have won four out of last five home games but without Lukoki and this being a must win game for RKC in their relegation struggle, I can see this one finishing a score draw. The draw is being offered at a massive 17/5 by our partners at Betfair.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

Week 27 Eredivisie Report: Ajax held, Twente slump, Feyenoord win.

March 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SC Cambuur held Ajax to a fantastic 1-1 draw in a game were the defending champions failed to really trouble the Eredivisie new boys. Feyenoord, minus Graziano Pelle, defeated Groningen 2-0 and FC Twente fell to Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer in an action-packed Sunday.

Sunday 9th March 2014

RKC WAALWIJK 1-1 ADO DEN HAAG

In a result that helped neither side, RKC and ADO drew 1-1 to share the points that does not help either in their relegation battle.

The visitors went ahead after an accurate cross from Dion Malone, Ronald Alberg was at the backpost to nod home his fourth goal of the season on 17 minutes.

The equaliser came just before half-time with Romeo Castelen breaking the offside trap and finishing perfectly past Gino Coutinho against the run of play.

TEAMS

RKC: Šeda, Apau, Van Weert, Van Hoevelen, Amieux, Sno, Braber, Duits, Castelen, Beauguel (Joachim 90+2), D. Schet.

SUBS NOT USED: Van Dijk, Ivens, Van Mosselveld, Anderson, Peltzer.

GOALS: Castelen 42.

BOOKINGS: Van Hoevelen 38, Braber 53.

ADO: Coutinho, Zuiverloon, Wormgoor, Beugelsdijk, Meijers, Malone, Holla (Bakker 66), Gehrt (Kanon 90+3), Alberg, Van Duinen, M. Schet.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkels, Merencia, Van Haaren, Kramer, Cabral5

GOALS: Alberg 17.

BOOKINGS: Holla 7, Beugelsdijk 31, Wormgoor 90+1.

GO AHEAD EAGLES 1-0 FC TWENTE

FC Twente trail three points behind Vitesse in third after a Jarchinio Antonia goal just after the half hour saw them beaten 1-0 by Go Ahead Eagles.

After a cautious and quiet opening twenty minutes, the visitors should have taken the lead. However, when striker Luc Castaignos was played through on goal by Jorge Corona, he dragged his effort wide of the post when it would have been easier to play the free Dušan Tadić in at the opposite post.

The only goal of the game was scored by Jarchinio Antonia just after the half-hour mark after an error from Felipe Gutiérrez. The Chilean dwelled on the ball and was robbed by Erik Falkenburg and the on-loan AZ man played in Antonia on the right-wing. Antonia hit a low drive from an acute angle that went through goalkeeper Nick Marsman’s legs and into the net.

After the interval, Twente pushed for goals knowing that a win was a must to keep up in the Champions League qualification race.

However, chances for Quincy Promes, Tadić and further from Castaignos went begging and the lacklustre Twente failed to create the goal to clinch even a point.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Andersen, Schmidt, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk (Haps 76), Overgoor, Türüç, Rijsdijk, Antonia, Falkenburg (Kolder 90), Houtkoop (Godee 69).

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

GOALS: Antonia 33.

BOOKINGS: None.

TWENTE: Marsman, Rosales, Martina, Bjelland, Koppers, Ebecilio, Promes, Gutiérrez, Tadić, Castaignos, Corona (Mokhtar 63).

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Schilder, Djordjevic, Hölscher, Röseler, Martina.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Castaignos 69.

FC GRONINGEN 0-2 FEYENOORD

Feyenoord track Twente in fourth by a just a single point now after a 2-0 win away at FC Groningen without star striker Graziano Pelle, as the Italian begins a four-game suspension.

New club captain Jordy Clasie lead the team out after replacing Pelle this past week and his side were a goal up after just 15 minutes.

Ruben Schaken finished a lovely move after breaking free from the Groningen defenders when Tonny Vilhena lofted a deft ball over the hosts backline.

In a rare goal, defender Stefan De Vrij completed a comfortable win four minutes after the break. After the Groningen defence failed to clear a free-kick that bobbled around the area, De Vrij hit the loose ball into the ground and made it 2-0.

TEAMS

GRONINGEN: Bizot, Hateboer, Botteghin, Kappelhof, Burnet (Kirm 75), Hiariej (Zivkovic 45), Lindgren, Chery, Van der Velden (Adorjan 62), Zeefuik, Kostic.

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Lei, Magnasco, Wijnaldum, Van Nieff.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Chery 67.

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Van Beek, De Vrij, Mathijsen, Martins Indi, Kongolo, Clasie, Immers, Vilhena (Vormer 86), Schaken, Te Vrede (Boëtius 66).

SUBS NOT USED: Lamprou, Nelom, Bakkal, Goossens, Armenteros.

GOALS: Schaken 15, De Vrij 49.

BOOKINGS: None.

AJAX 1-1 SC CAMBUUR

Ajax’s lead at the top of the Eredivisie has been cut to six points after the defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw by SC Cambuur at the Amsterdam Arena.

The Amsterdam outfit came into the weekend with an eight-point cushion at the top but Vitesse’s win against NAC Breda on Saturday evening applied the pressure and Frank de Boer’s men could not respond.

The hosts got off to a good start as Siem De Jong gave the Amsterdammers the lead after just two minutes. After youngster left-winger Ricardo Kishna robbed Wout Droeste of the ball high up the pitch, Kishna whipped the ball into De Jong in the area to finish.

One would imagine with such an early goal that the heavens would open however, this was not the case. Cambuur were resilient and kept Ajax at bay even though the in-form Lasse Schöne returned in the side replacing Barca’s on-loanee Bojan Krkic.

The visitor’s main threat was a player that belongs to Ajax, Jody Lukoki. With his lightening quick pace, he caused the Ajax defenders many problems that needed to be cut out early before he tested goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

Cambuur should have been level on 36 minutes after Marcel Ritzmaier placed a perfect corner in for the unmarked Mohamed El Makrini, but the midfielder could not get his header on target and it was a huge let-off for De Boer’s men.

As the game went on Cambuur looked the most likely to score but Cillessen pulled off some great stops to save his side. The away side were threatening from long range efforts with Ritzmaier and half-time substitute Michiel Hemmen lashing most of the shots at the goalkeeper.

The inevitable came as Martijn Barto levelled things up on 53 minutes for 11th-placed Cambuur. The marking at a corner was once again poor by Ajax as another Ritzmaier ball was placed perfectly on the head of the unmarked Barto to nod home.

Ajax had to step it up a gear as the 52,000 fans inside the Amsterdam Arena became restless but Cambuur keeper Leonard Nienhuis held firm and was involved in an unique decision by referee Danny Makkelie. With just ten minutes to go, Makkelie awarded a free-kick inside the Cambuur penalty area as the goalkeeper was adjudged to be time-wasting and held onto the ball for more than the allowed six seconds. Luckily for the Cambuur stopper, Kolbeinn Sigthórsson effort was deflected wide of the goal.

Ajax’s pressure in the last ten minutes was too little, too late and Frank de Boer and the Amsterdam crowd had to settle for the point.

TEAMS

AJAX: Cillessen, Van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Riedewald (Poulsen 72), Klaassen, Blind, Serero, Schöne (Sigthórsson 60), De Jong, Kishna (Bojan 51).

SUBS NOT USED: Vermeer, Duarte, Denswil, De Sa.

GOALS: De Jong 2.

BOOKINGS: None.

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Leeuwin, Van der Laan, Bijker, El Makrini (Mulders 84), Van Moorsel (Dijkstra 78), Ritzmaier, Lukoki, Barto, Manu (Hemmen 45).

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Van Boxel, Pereira, Schepers.

GOALS: Barto 53.

BOOKINGS: Ritzmaier 41, Leeuwin 79, Barto 90+3, Lukoki 90+4.

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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.

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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.

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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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