Category Archives: EREDIVISIE

EREDIVISIE: Vitesse 2-2 SC Cambuur

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

VITESSE 2 – 2 SC CAMBUUR

After coming back from a goal down, Vitesse were left to rue missed chances as Bartholomew Ogbeche rescued a point for Cambuur with just a minute to go on Saturday evening.

Cambuur got off to a dream start with a goal within the first ten minutes to silence the 13,967 inside the GelreDome. Striker Michiel Hemmen evaded two challenges before striking an effort at goal, which took a wicked deflection off Arnold Kruiswijk before looping over Piet Velthuizen’s head to make it 1-0.

However, the lead did not last long as Vitesse found an equaliser through a deflection of their own on 19 minutes. Marko Vejinovic passed to Zakaria Labyad just before the midfielder approached the area and the former Sporting Lisbon playmaker fired towards goal as the ball flicked up off Lucas Bijker’s challenge. The ball ended up flying over the top of Leonard Nienhuis’ as the keeper managed to get a palm to the ball, but unable to stop it to level the scores.

Before half-time, Vitesse had turned the game on its head when they were awarded a penalty on 36 minutes by referee Eric Braamhaar after Valeri Qazaishvili was fouled by Mohamed El Makrini in the box. Labyad stepped up as Nienhuis dived in the opposite direction, as Vitesse took the advantage into the interval.

Cambuur keeper Nienhuis kept his side in the match with second half efforts from Chelsea on-loan pairing Bertrand Traoré and Wallace denied by the stopper. Ukrainian substitute Denis Oliynyk worked well to get himself into the area and skipped two challenges with just eight minutes of time remaining. The summer signing from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk tried to place the ball under Nienhuis to seal the win, but the keeper got a leg underneath the shot to parry away.

Missing chances sometimes comes back to haunt teams and that’s exactly what it did to hosts. Former Middlesbrough striker Bartholomew Ogbeche scored his first of the season to grab Cambuur a great away point. When Velthuizen failed to fully stop Martijn Barto’s effort from a Dijkstra corner, the Nigerian forward smashed home the rebound to make it 2-2 and send the 300 Cambuur supporters go wild.

Vitesse are now without a league win in an nine-game stretch, there worst record since 2008. Facing immense pressure, Peter Bosz will need to improve things and quick.

TEAMS

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Van den Heijden, Kashia, Kruiswijk, Vejinovic, Leerdam, Pröpper, Traoré (Olinyk 75), Qazaishvili (Dauda 90), Labyad

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Djurdjevic, Bosz, Achenteh, Diks

GOALS: Labyad 19 & 37P.

BOOKINGS: Pröpper 53, Velthuizen 90.

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Reijnen, Bijker, Andriuškevičius, El Makrini, Rusnák (Dijkstra 81), Bakker (Barto 64), Meleg (Schepers 56), Hemmen, Ogbeche.

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Pereira, Schokker, Man-Intosch.

GOALS: Hemmen 10, Ogbeche 89.

BOOKINGS: Ogbeche 4, Bijker 65.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Zakaria Labyad (Vitesse)

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EREDIVISIE: FC Dordrecht 1-2 PEC Zwolle

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

FC DORDRECHT 1 – 2 PEC ZWOLLE

A second-half stoppage time Mustafa Saymak winner gave ten-man PEC Zwolle a great 2-1 triumph away to FC Dordrecht this evening ahead of their first ever European clash against Sparta Prague this Thursday reports Will Burns.

Zwolle started the brighter of the two sides with Stef Nijland, again starting in a lone striker role going close on two occasions early on. However, it was an uneventful first half that saw few opportunities created and those that were, saw some poor finishing and neither keeper had a shot to save until five minutes from the break.

After a good interception from Ben Rienstra, the midfielder spotted young New Zealand winger Ryan Thomas breaking after on the left. Rienstra fed the 19-year-old the ball and Thomas finished by sliding the ball underneath the onrushing Filip Kurto.

The goalscorer went over on his ankle soon after the break and was subsequently subbed off for loan signing Tomas Necid from CSKA Moscow. The imposing 6ft 3 striker joined on Wednesday and looked lively with some good touches and great movement for a big guy.

The Czech forward nearly got himself a goal minutes after coming on, after the energetic Jody Lukoki crossed from the right, but Necid failed to connect with his header and the ball sprayed wide of the goal.

Zwolle’s victory looked in jeopardy with just ten minutes remaining when young referee Jochem Kamphuis produced his first ever red card for Bart van Hintum for a double booking. The second yellow was for a shirt pull on Rihairo Meulens.

Just moments later, the scores were level. Hero of last weekend’s win over Heerenveen, Joris van Overeem floated a ball into the area from the right and after some terrible defending by Zwolle the ball fell awardkly for Mart Lieder. The striker just made contact with his spot that fooled Diederik Boer in goal but his effort bounced off the foot of the far post. Giovanni Korte was on hand to punish the Zwolle defence to poke home the equaliser.

However, Ron Jans’ men would have the last laugh with the winning goal with the last kick of the game deep into stoppage time. From Boer’s goal kick, Nedic pressured the Dordrecht defence and carried the ball forward after the defender missed the headed clearance. Emerging into the area, Necid spotted Mustafa Saymak arriving on the edge of the box. The Czech laid the ball into the Saymak’s path who finished superbly for the win.

Zwolle with their third win in all three games of the season so far, their second in the league, nowprepare for Thursday’s Europa League match against Sparta Prague at the IJsseldelta Stadion.

TEAMS

DORDRECHT: Kurto, Fortes, Haddad, Troost-Ekong, Peersman, Ojo, Gosens, Lieder, Korte, Van Overeem, Pisas (Meulens 73).

SUBS NOT USED: Te Loeke, Alisic, Ten Voorde, Vet, Van Deelen, Van Haaren.

GOALS: Korte 81.

BOOKINGS: Troost-Ekong 19, Ojo 55, Meulens 90.

ZWOLLE: Boer, Van Polen, Van der Werff (Lam 64), Broerse, Van Hintum, Saymak, Rienstra, Drost, Lukoki, Nijland (Pereira 81), Thomas (Necid 56).

SUBS NOT USED: De Jong, Ioannidis, Dekker, Moro.

GOALS: Thomas 40, Saymak 90+3.

BOOKINGS: Van Hintum 70.

SENT OFF: Van Hintum 80.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Mustafa Saymak (PEC Zwolle)

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EREDIVISIE: FC Twente 2-2 ADO Den Haag

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

FC TWENTE 2 – 2 ADO DEN HAAG

It was an entertaining draw between FC Twente and ADO Den Haag with a couple of great goals, but sloppy defending was at fault for both sides. Either one of them could have taken the three points on the balance of the game, but a draw was a fair result in the end reports Jake Jackman.

FC Twente started the game very well, as some early pressure resulted in Kyle Ebecilio getting in behind the defence, but his effort was smartly saved by Hansen. The home side looked a lot brighter than they did in their opening weekend fixture as their passing looked more crisp and they looked like a team which could challenge near the top of the division. Kamohelo Mokotjo was making his first start for FC Twente and looked assured in midfield.

The home side continued to have the better of the play, but couldn’t find the final ball to create clear cut chances for Luc Castaignos, who should be one of the front runners to be top scorer of the Eredivisie this year. ADO Den Haag played the offside trap excellently in the opening passage of the game, catching their opponents offside frequently. Kasper Kusk came close to opening the scoring with a decent shot which forced a save from Hansen, before a free kick from Mokhtar also brought the goalkeeper into action. The pressure was building.

ADO Den Haag were thinking they could hold on until half time, but an excellent run from Mokotjo saw him exchange passes Ebecilio before slotting past Hansen. It was an excellent goal, and a show of individual skill from the South African. It was deserved, and the home side took a 1-0 lead into the break.

The second half started like the first did with all of the attacking coming from FC Twente, with Mokhtar looking very dangerous. Luc Castaignos had an early chance as he beat the offside trap, but the angle didn’t favour him and Hansen saved comfortably. Against the run of play, ADO Den Haag won a penalty after Michiel Kramer was fouled by Rasmus Bengtsson. Roland Alberg converted the penalty to equalise for ADO Den Haag. The home side nearly took the lead minutes later as Castaignos released Tim Holscher, but Hanson again made a good stop.

After the goal, ADO started to press more and get more of the possession. They took the lead in the 78th minute as Mike van Duinen headed home after his first attempt was saved, the chance came about after a strike from distance hit the post. FC Twente’s level dropped after the equaliser, therefore it wasn’t a shock to see them go behind.

It looked like ADO Den Haag would be able to hold onto the win, after defending excellently all match. However it wasn’t to be as Hansen punched the ball poorly straight to Shadrach Eghan the substitute, who fired the ball excellently into the bottom corner past the outstretched arm of the former Liverpool goalkeeper.

The home side had all of the momentum going into the final minutes of the game, as Torgeir Børven had a late chance, but he failed to score the winner. FC Twente will be disappointed they failed to win against ADO Den Haag, especially as the first goal was avoidable, but their level dropped from the first half, allowing the away side back into the game. The away side will be pleased with the point, but after having the lead, they will be disappointed they didn’t hang on after defending so well in the opening 45 minutes.

TEAMS

TWENTE: Marsman, Martina, Lachman, Bengtsson (Børven 83), Koppers, Mokotjo, Ebecilio, Hölscher (Eghan 66), Castaignos, Mokhtar (Ould-Chikh 82), Kusk.

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Schilder, Børven, Breukers, Andersen.

GOALS: Mokotjo 45+1, Eghan 86.

BOOKINGS: Mokhtar 41, Bengtsson 54.

ADO: Hansen, Malone, Zuiverloon, Wormgoor, Meijers, Alberg, Jansen, Kristensen, Houtkoop (Bakker 86), Kramer, Van Duinen.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkels, Kanon, Buwalda, Ebuehi, Owobowale, Merencia.

GOALS: Alberg 54, Van Duinen 77.

BOOKINGS: Alberg 79.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kamohelo Mokotjo (FC Twente)

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EREDIVISIE: PSV 6-1 NAC Breda

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

PSV 6 – 1 NAC BREDA

A brilliant attacking display from Depay & Co. sends PSV to the top of the table as both Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum get braces with Jurgen Locadia getting one and Aleksandr Damcevski scoring an own goal while NAC’s star performer Adnane Tighadouini pulled one back for the away side while the game was still at 2-0. The six goals cover up a sloppy defensive display that would have been severely punished against top sides.

PSV came into today’s game knowing a win would send them top after Feyenoord could only draw last night against Heerenveen and the rest of the division were still to play. In their last game PSV beat Willem II 3-1 in a unconvincing performance while NAC Breda suffered a disappointing opening day draw at home against newly-promoted side Excelsior who are the type of team that NAC need to beat to avoid relegation. PSV started the game with a team all either 23 years old or younger which certainly bodes well for the future of PSV.

Before PSV’s first goal on 20 minutes the game was pretty even with both sides only having half-chances. PSV started very sloppily with players giving the ball away too often including left back Tamata who attempted a back pass which went out for a goal kick near the corner flag. Adnane Tighadouini of NAC impressed early on playing on the left side of a front three. He repeatedly got the better of Santiago Arias at right back and was probably the best player in the first half. The best early chance came from NAC’s new man upfront Kingsley Boateng who drove past a couple of defenders before trying an attempt from a tight angle which was well saved by Zoet.

Then came PSV’s first goal which was a result of a misplaced pass from Depay in the middle of NAC’s half, it was intended for Luuk de Jong but it went behind him and Wijnaldum ran into the box before taking it in his stride and slotting the ball home into the bottom right corner of the net. Then came a period of PSV domination in which PSV hardly left NAC’s half. The pressure paid off in the 25th minute when Depay passed to Arias who ran down the wing and crossed it low for de Jong, only for NAC debutant Aleksandar Damchevski to deflect the ball into his own net.

However, NAC did get themselves back into the game in the 29th minute when the impressive Tighadouini got on the ball and slid a pass through to Erik Falkenburg who was running clear before being brought down by a pull from Arias for a penalty. Tighadouini then stepped up to score the penalty, which brought the game into a more level playing field. Their goal was followed up quickly by two chances from Tighadouini who both times cut inside a poor Arias and attempted an effort into the top corner, one of which went just wide while the other was tipped over by Zoet.

The second half started off badly for NAC with Tighadouini had to come off in the 48th minute due to an ankle injury he had sustained in the early stages of the game. Just after the substitution Falkenburg had a great chance to bring NAC level with a close range effort that was well saved by Zoet. This was quickly followed by a brilliant free kick from Memphis Depay, exactly 21.3 metres out thanks to the on-screen graphics, which curled over the wall and into the right hand side of the net to send the home side two goals clear.

This beckoned the crumbling of the NAC defence, two minutes later Jurgen Locadia drove the ball into the top corner from outside the box after he was set up by a lovely deft De Jong back-heel. This was then followed by yet another goal, this time from Wijnaldum to make it 5-1, he received the ball in an area of space inside the box before lifting the ball into the corner of the net, unforgivable defending from NAC. Despite being 5-1 up and in a seemingly comfortable position PSV still appeared vulnerable to attack from NAC and had they been more accurate with their final balls they could’ve had a couple of goals.

In the 73 minute however Depay got his second from an almost identical free kick to his first to finish off the rout. This well and truly took the wind out of NAC’s sails and they barely threatened after this as the game wound down to the final whistle.

Overall, Phillip Cocu will be extremely pleased with his side’s attacking prowess but will be concerned at the ease in which NAC managed to create some of their attacks from the wing especially, both Arias and Tamata were substituted before the end after poor defensive performances.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Arias (Hendrix 73), Bruma, Rekik, Tamata (Brenet 46), Wijnaldum (Vloet 78), Hiljemark, Maher, Locadia, De Jong, Depay.

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Narsingh, Jozefzoon, Vloet, Ritzmaier.

GOALS: Wijnaldum 21 & 57, Damcevski 25OG, Depay 51 & 73, Locadia 53.

BOOKINGS: Arias 29.

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, Ssewankambo, Drost, Damcevski, Amieux, De Kamps, Falkenburg, Matic, Hooi (Seuntjens 69), Boateng, Tighadouini (Sarpong 49).

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, De Roover, Sarpong, Suk, Swerts, Van der Weg.

GOALS: Tighadouini 30P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Memphis Depay (PSV)

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EREDIVISIE: Feyenoord 1-1 Heerenveen

August 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

FRIDAY 15TH AUGUST 2014

FEYENOORD 1 – 1 HEERENVEEN

The points were shared at De Kuip, despite Heerenveen having to play the last third of the match with ten men. Feyenoord are still adjusting to life without the stars of last season, but their start has been encouraging.

Despite having differing results on the opening weekend, there was little difference between the sides in the first half, as both sides had chances to take the lead. It was an entertaining start to the match as both sides had a good chance each within the opening ten minutes. Heerenveen forward Luciano Slagveer went on a powerful run through the opposition half, but his show sailed harmlessly wide. Feyenoord then had a chance of their own as the ball was fired across the box to Basacikoglu, who fired wide with a powerful drive.

The match was end to end, but neither side stayed calm in the final third, as they both struggled to create clear cut chances. It’s clear Feyenoord are missing the host of stars that were sold over the summer, while Jordy Clasie didn’t feature against Heerenveen, his future is far from certain.

In the final stages of the opening 45 minutes, the hosts came to life. They started to pass the ball with vigour in the final third and a nice interplay saw Tony Vilhena receive the ball on the edge of the area, his stinging shot was well saved by Nordfeldt. Moments later, Basacikoglu found space to deliver an excellent cross, but the resulting header from Mitchell te Vrede was pushed wide by the Heerenveen stopper. The momentum was building, yet Heerenveen nearly nicked a goal before half time on the break as Van Den Burg’s shot from long range was well stopped by Mulder and Uth could only head the rebound over the bar. Despite their late chance, the away side will have been pleased to make it to the break still level.

Minutes into the second half, powerful play from te Vrede allowed him to turn his marker after he controlled the ball from a throw in. The striker then scuffed his effort wide, however the strength showed was encouraging. Feyenoord continued to attack with purpose as Immers couldn’t control his effort goalwards after an excellent cross into the box from Boetius.

Heerenveen almost scored in the 60th minute after clever play from Slagveer to skip inside and hit a left footed shoot low past Mulder but the post came to the home side’s rescue. Then Van Den Burg received his second booking for a silly foul in the middle of the pitch, meaning Feyenoord were playing ten men for the second Eredivisie match in a row.

Yet it was the team with the numerical disadvantage which opened the scoring as Hakim Ziyech curled a free kick over the wall and past Mulder, who will have been disappointed to have been beaten by that strike. The home side quickly equalised after Schaken beat his man on the right wing, and put in a great cross, which was headed goalwards by captain Lex Immers, but it flicked off Te Vrede on the way in.

Feyenoord were in control of the game for the final half an hour, having lots of possession in the final third, Nordfeldt was forced into a save from Manu’s shot after the ball fell to the Feyenoord player in the box. Although Feyenoord continued to push, they couldn’t make their one man advantage count, unlike in their previous match, with Te Vrede coming closest to a winner after Nordfeldt saved smartly from his header.

Although they didn’t win, Feyenoord will be pleased with their four points from two games as the team starts to settle without the players who starred last season, with Mitchell te Vrede being a particular highlight, he looks like he could be set for a great season. Heerenveen will be relieved they hung on for a point in the end.

TEAMS

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen, Kongolo, Vormer, Immers, Vilhena, Basacikoglu (Schaken 57), Te Vrede, Boëtius (Manu 76).

SUBS NOT USED: Verhoek, Hahn, Nelom, Steenvoorden, Karsdorp.

GOALS: Te Vrede 70.

BOOKINGS: Vilhena 74.

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, Buijs, Van Aken, Van Anholt, De Roon, Van den Berg, Ziyech (Wildschut 83), Sinkgraven, Slagveer (Schmidt 87), Uth (Raitala 67).

SUBS NOT USED: De Fockert, Otigba, Thorsby, Dalgaard.

GOALS: Ziyech 67.

BOOKINGS: Van den Berg 13.

SENT OFF: Van den Berg 60.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Luciano Slagveer (Heerenveen)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 2: Saturday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Saturday brings four more games in the Eredivisie Week 2. Will Burns provides his betting tips with Bet Victor providing the prices.

SATURDAY 15TH AUGUST

PSV vs. NAC BREDA (17:30 BST)

Karim Rekik is back in Eindhoven and although PSV have missed out on signing Belgian midfielder Stefan Defour, they have a squad packed full of talent to make a charge for the Eredivisie title. This week, relegation contenders NAC Breda arrive in Eindhoven to try and halt Philip Cocu’s men, Will Burns seems to think De Boeren will not have much trouble on Saturday night.

PSV’s are Ajax main challengers and the signing of Rekik is a welcome addition in the defence. In more good news for Cocu, morale was boosted by skipper Georginio Wijnaldum penning an extension to his contract until 2018. Club officials are hoping the most-wanted winger Memphis Depay follows suit.

Historically, the odds way in the favour of PSV against NAC at the Philips Stadion. The Eindhoven side have been winning at both half time and full time in six of their last eight home matches against Breda in all competitions. In recent times, to stack the odds against Nebojša Gudelj’s side further, NAC have failed to find all three points in their last 12 league games, and with only two wins away all last season, leaving Eindhoven with anything looks highly unlikely.

With Stijn Schaars and Jetro Willems still not fit, expect Cocu to stick with the majority of the same team that defeated ten-man Willem II 3-1 last Sunday. Rekik may replace Jorrit Hendrix in defence alongside Jeffrey Bruma. Although, the performance was the greatest in the Koning Willem II Stadion, PSV will be out to impress in front of their own fans in the first home game of the season. Expect a convincing win for De Boeren and with the returning partnership of Bruma and Rekik, a clean sheet too. PSV to win to nil is valued at 23/20 at Bet Victor and that is our recommended bet in this one.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PSV to win to nil (23/20 – Bet Victor)

FC DORDRECHT vs. PEC ZWOLLE (18:45 BST)

FC Dordrecht host PEC Zwolle and the Eredivisie newcomers will look up to Ron Jans’ side as a prime example of a promoted side who can make a success of staying up and progressing. Will Burns predicts Zwolle easily overcoming Dordrecht in an entertaining goal-fest.

With attacking midfielder Stef Nijland playing on his own upfront the last two weeks, Ron Jans added a bit of quality in attack this week with Czech international striker Tomáš Necid joining on a loan deal from CSKA Moscow. Once proclaimed a young prodigy by the experts in his homeland, Necid has struggled in Moscow and was farmed out to PAOK and Slavia Prague the past two seasons. Jans will look to last week’s star man Jody Lukoki to supply the balls for the massive 6ft 3inch hitman if he decides to play the Czech up front.

Dordrecht pulled off the shock result of last weekend, turning over Heerenveen on their own patch, so coach Ernie Brandts should employ the same eleven. Though Rick ten Voorde, Rihairo Meulens and Mohamed Hamdaoui will be itching to get on the pitch and may push for a starting place.

I cannot see anything else but a PEC Zwolle win. A team in form after defeating Ajax and FC Utrecht in recent weeks, I see a resounding triumph for Jans’ men with plenty of goals on show. Bet Victor offer 13/8 for the PEC Zwolle victory but I see PEC Zwolle -1 in the Handicap market at a massive 4/1 at our best value bet.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PEC Zwolle -1 (4/1 – Bet Victor)

FC TWENTE vs. ADO DEN HAAG (18:45 BST)

An unimpressive Twente grabbed a late point last week against Cambuur, but they will have to perform much better against Henk Fraser’s ADO who suffered a late goal themselves last weekend in the 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord.

Playing the majority of the game with ten-men, ADO were incredibly unfortunate not to salvage a point against Feyenoord on Sunday. The game was a testament of all the hard work Henk Fraser has achieved with the team and ADO will head to Enschede looking to get the season back on track.

Twente could be too strong for ADO in this one and could become a real contender this year with the signing of Kamohelo Mokotjo last Friday for a snip at €1.5m. Mokotjo will be pushing for a start in this one and the South African combining with Kasper Kusk, Kyle Ebecilio and Youness Mokhtar is a mouth-watering prospect for striker Luc Castaignos, who should be eating up the chances created.

It was a valiant performance from ADO last weekend, however I see Twente far too strong for Fraser men on Saturday night. A Twente win gives you a short 2/5 at Bet Victor, however for them to win and keep a clean sheet in the process is a healthy 6/4.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Twente to win to nil (6/4 – Bet Victor)

VITESSE vs. SC CAMBUUR (19:45 BST)

Cambuur grabbed a great point at home to Twente last weekend, however this weekend they travel to Arnhem for a tough test against Vitesse. Will Burns thinks Cambuur will be overpowered by the Vitesse attack.

Finishing must improve from the home side after missing chance after chance in the first-half away to Ajax last weekend. Anyone watching would have thought how Vitesse had not scored three or four before the half-time whistle. This weekend, that must change and if Peter Bosz’s side can create the same amount of opportunities, they should be home and dry against Cambuur in Saturday’s late game.

The home side will have to watch out for Albert Rusnak, star of the show in Cambuur’s 1-1 draw with Twente. The young Slovak on loan from Manchester City stole the headlines with a great performance last weekend, topped off with a wonderful free-kick goal. Unfortunately for Cambuur, Rusnak was the only real threat and I cannot see Vitesse conceding many in this one.

For a Vitesse victory, Bet Victor offer 4/7 although for true value for Vitesse to win by two goals (-1) is at 11/8 which gives us some decent money back.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Vitesse -1 (11/8 – Bet Victor)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 2: Friday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 14, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

Week two begins on Friday night inside De Kuip with two big names in Dutch football that had uninspiring efforts last weekend. Heerenveen travel south to Rotterdam to face Feyenoord.

FRIDAY 15TH AUGUST

FEYENOORD vs. HEERENVEEN (19:00 BST)

Friday night in De Kuip, Dwight Lodeweges takes his Heerenveen side to Rotterdam to face Fred Rutten’s Feyenoord in what Will Burns thinks will be an entertaining stalemate.

Last week was it was contrasting starts for both sides, Heerenveen fell to a last-gasp 2-1 defeat against Eredivisie new boys FC Dordrecht, whilst Feyenoord secured victory away to ADO Den Haag with an stoppage time Mitchell te Vrede goal.

Feyenoord and Heerenveen have added to their squads this week. A striker well known in the English leagues, Colin Kazim-Richards, apart from the paperwork being completed, has joined Rutten’s squad on loan from Turkish side Bursaspor. Lodeweges clinched the signing of exciting young Swedish winger Sam Larsson from IFK Göteberg on a four-year deal.

It can be debated that Feyenoord technical director Martin van Geel has had a poor summer transfer window, as Rutten is yet to be supplied with a top forward to replace top scorer Graziano Pellè. Although, it is heavily rumoured that John Guidetti could return to De Kuip before the August 31st transfer deadline. The signing of 21-year-old winger Larsson is an exciting prospect for Heerenveen. The tricky playmaker could prove to be a real force in the Eredivisie and is tipped for big things over the next few years. He could make his debut for Lodeweges’s side on Friday night.

MATCH ODDS

The best price in the ‘Match Odds’ market at Bet Victor for me is the draw at 7/2. The Frisian side proved to be great travellers last season under Marco van Basten only losing four games of the 17 on the road and will look to retain that reputation. With Feyenoord on the ropes in the last month, a ‘lucky’ win against ten-men ADO on Sunday, did not impress many. Although, not withstanding last weekend’s poor performances, both sides can produce goals. However, I think if there is goals, they will cancel each other out. The draw is great value at 7/2 and I fail to see a better bet than that in this one. However, if you want to go further and look for a score 1-1 is valued at 19/2 and 2-2 at a massive 15/1. It is still early days in the league and I think Feyenoord, with three points already in the bank, Rutten’s men may settle for a draw and I know Heerenveen will be pleased to put a point on the board after last week’s home defeat to Dordrecht. If you are looking to add this to an accumulator, Both Teams to Score seems a bit short at 11/20 but may be worth combining with another few games to gain some decent profit.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Draw – 7/2

Correct Score 1-1 – 19/2

Correct Score 2-2 – 15/1

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EREDIVISIE: Willem II 1-3 PSV

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

WILLEM II 1 – 3 PSV

Philip Cocu’s PSV was uninspiring away to Eredivisie new boys Willem II but still came away with a 3-1 win in the final game of the weekend.

PSV exploded out the blocks and harried Willem II into two defensive mistakes that resulted in two goals in the first ten minutes. First off, Kostas Lamprou making his debut for the Tilburg side since joining on loan from Feyenoord, dramatically rushed out of his goal on seven minutes to meet the ball a few yards outside of the area. After the keeper took an awful touch, the ball flick up in the air which allowed Jürgen Locadia to nod the ball out of the goalie’s path. The striker then aimed the ball towards goal and Jordan Peters hurried back but was unable to clear off the line and PSV were a goal ahead.

The lead was doubled minutes later after another horrific mistake. After a pass back went wrong from Robbie Haemhouts, Memphis Depay collected the ball twisted and turned the Willem II defence and place a low drive inside Lamprou’s post. The fans inside the Koning Willem II Stadion were booing, apart from the 500 PSV fans in the south east corner.

The Eindhoven side looked like they were going to go on a rout, however the Eredivisie newcomers collected themselves and put up a fight and even grabbed a goal back before the break. The exciting Terrel Ondaan got past Luuk de Jong on the right and fired in a low ball into the area. Brazilian striker Bruno Andrade collected the loose ball, spun his defender and finished from close range, a great goal.

The relegation contenders looked anything but after the goal as Cocu’s men were on the ropes and had Jeroen Zoet to thanks for retaining the lead. Before the break, the PSV keeper parried a great effort from long range by Ondaan.

After the interval, as the torrential rain came down, Willem II should have been level within eight minutes of the restart. Andrade whipped a vicious ball towards the back post from the right wing which Ben Sahar connected with his head and nodded back across goal. Belgian midfielder Stijn Wuytens was a metre out and headed the ball straight at Zoet, easy enough for the keeper to catch. A terrible miss by the former PSV midfielder.

Zoet held firm for the remainder of the game and PSV wrapped up the points with less than 15 minutes to go. Depay placed a perfect ball through to Georginio Wijnaldum in the area and the midfielder was tripped by Lamprou, who immediately received his marching orders from referee Kevin Blom. Depay easily dispatched the remaining penalty to seal the win.

TEAMS

WILLEM II: Lamprou, Peters, Ondaan (Vicento 67), Haemhouts, Messaoud, Andrade (Meul 75), Sahar (Ippel 80), D. Wuytens, Heymans, Cornelisse, S. Wuytens.

SUBS NOT USED: Heerkens, Vossebelt, Zanelli, Deckers.

GOALS: Andrade 40.

BOOKINGS: Messaoud 50, Andrade 61, Peters 68.

SENT OFF: Lamprou 73.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Bruma, Hendrix, Tamata, Maher (Ritzmaier 80), Wijnaldum, Hiljemark, Locadia (Narsingh 81), De Jong, Depay (Jozefzoon 85).

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Arias, Vloet, Koch.

GOALS: Locadia 7, Depay 10 & 76P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Memphis Depay (PSV)

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EREDIVISIE: Go Ahead Eagles 2-3 FC Groningen

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

GO AHEAD EAGLES 2 – 3 FC GRONINGEN

In a five goal thriller, FC Groningen’s Jarchinio Antonia scored a late goal to defeat his former side Go Ahead Eagles as his side came from two down to win 3-2 at Adelaarshorst.

After seeing some many players move to bigger clubs, Go Ahead lost Jarchinio Antonia to FC Groningen last month which today would come back to haunt them. Surprisingly, they did manage to persuade Deniz Türüç to stay after some interest from FC Twente.

Today, Go Ahead started brightly and Türüç was influential in the opening goal. Alex Schalk provided a smart back-heel to finish Türüç’s attempt after only 18 minutes of play. The lead could have been doubled before half-time new Groningen keeper Sergio Padt, a summer signing from Belgian side AA Gent saved a Jop van der Linden’s free kick, while striker Marnix Kolder fired into the side netting.

Just five minutes after the break the energetic Lesley de Sa scored an excellent individual goal. The 21-year-old from Ajax cut inside from the right wing lashing a powerful drive into top corner of Padt’s goal, giving the stopper no chance of reaching.

The over 9,000 fans inside the Adelaarshorst exploded, however none of them would have foreseen the second half ahead. After dominating the first-half, Go Ahead was exposed terribly by Groningen after the break.

Just before the hour mark, Groningen grabbed a goal back when Tjaronn Chery, signed permanently from ADO in the summer, blasted a low drive from the edge of the box past Erik Cummins to make it 2-1.

With just fifteen minutes remaining, Michael de Leeuw levelled the game up taking advantage of some poor marking by the Eagles, with a close range header after Antonia crossed towards the back post.

Then on 87 minutes, Jarchinio Antonia loved by Eagles fans last year was instantly loathed by those same supporters after scoring the winner. With the pitch heavily waterlogged and the ball unable to move smoothly across the grass, De Leeuw lofted a ball high into the middle of box and Antoniq stretched out with a diving header past Cummins to break Eagles hearts.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Cummins, Niuewpoort, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk, Overgoor, Türüç, Van Oojien (Rijsdijk 71), De Sa (Reimerink 83), Kolder, Schalk (Lewis 68).

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Hart, Lewis, De Bondt, Van der Meer, Ten Den.

GOALS: Schalk 18, De Sa 50.

BOOKINGS: None.

GRONINGEN: Padt, Hiariej, Botteghin, Kappelhof, Van Nieff (Van der Laan 64), Kieftenbeld, Chery, Lindgren (De Leeuw 67), Van der Velden, Hoesen (Islamovic 88), Antonia.

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Vlag, Hateboer, Saban, Hagenauw.

GOALS: Chery 58, De Leeuw 75, Antonia 87

BOOKINGS: Van Nieff 46.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jarchinio Antonio (FC Groningen)

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EREDIVISIE: Ajax 4-1 Vitesse

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

AJAX 4 – 1 VITESSE

Ajax got their title defense underway with 4-1 win over Vitesse, although the victory was not as one-sided as it sounds.

Whilst potential signing Samuel Eto’o was among the spectators at the Amsterdam ArenA, Frank de Boer went with three-pronged attack of Ricardo Kishna, Arkadiusz Milik and Lasse Schöne. He left all three of Ajax’s representatives at this summer’s World Cup on the bench, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind.

Meanwhile, Peter Bosz decided to feature two youngsters from the latest crop sent over to Arnhem from Chelsea. Burkina Faso attacking midfielder Bertrand Traoré returned for his second season at Vitesse while Brazilian right-back Wallace made his debut at the back.

Vitesse controlled the majority of the first 45 minutes with Ajax looking vulnerable at the back, however the visitors were due to rue all the missed opportunities especially when Ajax made the breakthrough five minutes before half-time.

Summer signing Nick Viergever got the first goal with a wonderful left-foot finish. Young full-back Ruben Ligeon got forward on the right-wing and planted a cross in the middle of the box, arriving late Viergever volleyed past Piet Velthuizen in goal to make the Amsterdam ArenA jump.

Just after the interval, the lead was doubled after Chelsea youngster Wallace brought down Kishna around 30-yards out. From the resulting set-piece, Lasse Schöne hit a dipping long range shot that made Velthuizen look rather foolish in goal.

The second goal woke Vitesse up immediately and Bosz’s men nearly reduced the deficit. Defender Guram Kashia cracked a header off the crossbar from a Zakaria Labyad corner and then nodded the rebound over. However, the game was settled just after the hour mark with Mike van der Hoorn’s first goal for Ajax. Schone whipped in the corner and the defender rose above Jan-Arie van der Heijden to make it 3-0. Game over for Vitesse Arnhem.

The entrances of new signing Denys Olinyk and young forward Uroš Djurdjevic did not bring Vitesse any joy, Ajax were in full domination and dictated the tempo of the play. Although, Vitesse did get a consolation goal with a lovely effort by Marko Vejinović with just six minutes to go. After shrugging off the challenge of Van der Hoorn, the midfielder caught the Ajax defence asleep as he surged through the area and slotted home inside Kenneth Vermeer’s inside post.

Ajax made it four before the final whistle when young substitute winger Ahmed El Ghazi played a ball into the back post, and Schöne sidefooted home to score his second of the match.

Great second half performance from the Amsterdammers which may have shown Marc Overmars and De Boer that, do they really need to spend €2million a year on wages for Eto’o when they have all this talent banging in the goals when it matters.

TEAMS

AJAX: Vermeer, Ligeon, Van der Hoorn, Moisander, Boilesen, Klaassen (Sigthórsson 80), Viergever, Serero, Schöne, Milik (Blind 59), Kishna (El Ghazi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Cillessen, Veltman, Sigthórsson, Andersen, Denswil.

GOALS: Viergever 40, Schöne 48, Van der Hoorn 62.

BOOKINGS: Ligeon 43, Van der Hoorn 82.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Kashia, Van den Heijden, Kruiswijk, Pröpper, Leerdam (Achenteh 85), Vejinovic, Labyad, Kazaishvili (Olinyk 66), Traoré (Djurdjevic 66).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Dijks, Bosz, Dauda.

GOALS: Vejinovic 84.

BOOKINGS: Wallace 47.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lasse Schöne (Ajax)

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EREDIVISIE: ADO Den Haag 0-1 Feyenoord

August 10, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

ADO DEN HAAG 0 – 1 FEYENOORD

The opening game of Sky Sports’ coverage in the UK was a high octane affair with 12 yellow cards and a sending off however; ten-man ADO Den Haag were harshly defeated by a late Mitchell te Vrede goal.

In an already hectic season for Fred Rutten, the new Feyenoord head coach decided to hand debuts down the right side to Luke Wilkshire and Bilal Basacikoglu while he dropped young striker Te Vrede in place of midweek scorer against Beşiktaş, Elvis Manu.

ADO’s debutant goalkeeper Martin Hansen had to be alert on nine minutes as Terence Kongolo delivered a wonderful cross for former Den Haag man Lex Immers to rise above everyone to smash a header at goal, and the former Liverpool youth keeper tipped over.

Feyenoord should have gained the lead on 15 minutes after Basacikoglu threaded the needle for Manu down the right. The striker showed great power and strength to get past Vito Wormgoor but Hansen flicked the ball around the post.

The woodwork stopped ADO’s chances going in, twice in succession. On 17 minutes, Mike van Duinen nodded on a corner for former West Brom defender Gianni Zuiverloon to head the ball off the crossbar. A few minutes later, Dion Malone crashed the bar with a great effort from long range that had the supporters inside Kyocera Stadion on their feet and Feyenoord keeper Erwin Mulder on his knees.

The hosts impressed after the early scares form Feyenoord but lost their captain Ronald Alberg to injury before half-time and had to be replacement by another man making his debut, 18-year-old Tyronne Ebuehi.

Things got worse for Henk Fraser as Mitchell Schet received two bookings within four minutes. Schet dived in on Sven van Beek and then minutes later he was penalised for pulling back Kongolo. Video replays showed that the second should not have been a sending off. Nevertheless, referee Danny Makkelie dished out the first red card of the Eredivisie season so far and Schet trudged off the pitch.

As the rain poured down, ADO lost their discipline and Aaron Meijers was lucky to stay on the field after a two footed challenge in the corner on Basacikoglu. The teams went into the interval all square but Feyenoord, with the man advantage.

Still the Rotterdammers failed to get going and really test Hansen’s gloves and it was not until the hour mark that we saw the first real chance. An audacious effort from Kevin Jansen, spotting Erwin Mulder off his line, hit a 45-yard free kick towards goal that just sailed wide with Mulder scrambling to get back in his goal.

On 65 minutes, Feyenoord had a free-kick of their own and with a great piece of improvisation, Clasie laid the ball low into the area for Kongolo to crack an effort on goal. Unfortunately for Rutten’s men the box was too crowded and the ball went behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, Immers got his head on the ball again but could not get his effort on target.

As the time dwindled on, ADO looked the more dangerous as Feyenoord became anxious. The introductions of Te Vrede, Ruben Schaken and later Ruud Vormer seemed to fail to inspire Rutten’s side to the expected victory. Although, In the dying moments, when it looked like the game would not be settled, Mitchell te Vrede snatched the win with an excellent header from a Clasie free-kick.

Feyenoord will need to improve if they wish to challenge the likes of Ajax, PSV and FC Twente for the Eredivisie championship. ADO will be disappointed with the result but on the bright this is only their second defeat in the last 14 league fixtures. Referee Danny Makkelie will be in headlines also, as the 13 cards he displayed in this game is an all-time Eredivisie record.

TEAMS

ADO: Hansen, Malone, Wormgoor, Zuiverloon, Meijers, Kristensen, Jansen (Merencia 87), Alberg (Ebuehi 38), Van Duinen, Kramer, Schet.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkles, Kanon, Buwalda, De Vlugt, Houtkoop.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Schet 36, Meijers 43, Kramer 52, Jansen 54, Zuiverloon 63, Kristensen 65, Merencia 90.

SENT OFF: Schet 40.

FEYENOORD: Mulder; Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen, Kongolo, Clasie, Immers, Vilhena, Basacikoglu (Schaken 67), Manu (Vormer 81), Boëtius (Te Vrede 58).

SUBS NOT USED: Hahn, Vormer, Verhoek, Nelom, Karsdorp.

GOALS: Te Vrede 90+1.

BOOKINGS: Manu 25, Te Vrede 77, Van Beek 80, Wilkshire 82, Clasie 85.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kevin Jansen (ADO)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 1: SUNDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday sees the final four games of the first week of action as the big guns PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord and Vitesse begin their campaign. Will Burns to provide a preview and some betting tips – good luck.

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST

ADO DEN HAAG vs. FEYENOORD (11:30 BST)

The very first Dutch game of the four-year Sky Sports deal will be a fierce battle between ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord.

This will be a tough test for Feyenoord, after the midweek exploits in Turkey, defeated by Beşiktaş 3-1 courtesy of a Demba Ba hat-trick. With a squad depleted after losing their leading scorer for the past two seasons and three of their representatives at this summer’s World Cup, Fred Rutten has a major job on his hands if he wishes to try steering Feyenoord to a title challenge this term. Signing Heerenveen winger Bilal Basacikoglu was a good start and the thought of Jean-Paul Boëtius on opposite wings is a mouth-watering prospect. Problem is the lack of strikers to cross the ball to. Apart from an uninspiring Mitchell te Vrede in the lone striker role, Elvis Manu, scorer in midweek, will be in Rutten’s mind and may get a start.

ADO manager Henk Fraser has been impressive since taking over midway through last season. Boasting an undefeated record of 11 of their last 12 matches, they head into Sunday’s game with confidence and some good new faces. Xander Houtkoop had a fantastic season at Go Ahead Eagles last year. Twenty four-year-old goalkeeper Martin Hansen, a former Liverpool youth excelled in the Danish league over last two season at Viborg FF and FC Nordsjælland. Finally, experienced Danish international midfielder Thomas Kristensen arrives after six success filled seasons at FC København. All three are set to start, however, the biggest news of the summer for ADO is that young highly-rated striker Mike van Duinen is still at the club.

With the tiredness and exhaustion from the midweek travel and mood affecting the result of the game, I cannot see Feyenoord walking out of the Kyocera Stadion with a win. I feel ADO will be set-up a fresher team and ready to exploit any weakness they find. Rutten will be hoping to get the season going but I feel Fraser’s side will hold the Rotterdammers to a draw.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (3/1 – Bet Victor)

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. FC GRONINGEN (13:30 BST)

After a disappointing European adventure in the summer, Groningen began their league campaign in Deventer on Sunday afternoon away to Go Ahead Eagles.

A load of players to look out for in this game, Eagles have borrowed a couple from Ajax and both should be on the teamsheet. Young goalkeeper Mickey van der Hart started 27 games in the Eerste Divisie last year for Jong Ajax. Exciting winger Lesly de Sa also appeared for Jong Ajax last term, scoring seven goals in 17 starts. Another definite starter should be left-back Giliano Wijnaldum, brother of Georginio, who signed from Sunday’s opponents FC Groningen. Another two, who could also feature is striker Alex Schalk, signed on a free from NAC Breda and midfielder Peter van Ooijen who arrived from PSV Eindhoven.

Edwin van der Looi brought many exciting reinforcements into Groningen this summer. Danny Hoesen signed on a permanent deal from Ajax, as Richairo Zivkovic went to other way. Signing from Go Ahead, Jarchinio Antonia should start against his former club and possibly haunt them with his right-wing attacks. Big defender Martijn van der Laan arrived from Cambuur and goalkeeper Sergio Padt came from Jupiler Pro side AA Gent as Marco Bizot went the opposite direction to Belgium. All of these players will add some great depth to an already strong squad.

I predict this match could provide a lot of goals and could be the game of the round. Adelaarshorst is a challenging venue for any team but Groningen should have sufficient quality to be able to hold off their opponents to at least claim a point in this one.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (13/5- Bet Victor)

AJAX vs. VITESSE ARNHEM (13:30 BST)

Defending champions Ajax will be out for blood against Vitesse on Sunday after spending all week licking their wounds from last weekend’s Johan Cruijff Schaal defeat in their own backyard to PEC Zwolle.

Undefeated in the last 22 games in the league, Ajax will be vying to keep the run going and get off to a good start on Sunday. World Cup trio, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind have returned to full training this week after being given extended leave once their involvement in Brazil concluded. It is very unlikely that they will be named in the starting line-up against Vitesse, so in their absence Kenneth Vermeer, Mike van der Hoorn and summer signing from AZ, Nick Viergever should stand in. Elsewhere, Frank de Boer could hand a debut to young Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik, who was loaned from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen last month.

Peter Bosz will be looking for a change in fortune as his side have lost their last four away matches in the league, but he could not have asked for a harder first game than a trip to the Amsterdam ArenA. Preparations for the new season as usual, have seen Chelsea reserve players have made the switch from Stamford Bridge for the forthcoming season. Burkina Faso international midfielder Bertrand Traoré and Brazilian full-back Wallace have made the move over to Arnhem. Vitesse has strengthened their attacking options bringing in striker Abiola Dauda, who has a great goalscoring record at both Kalmar (Sweden) and Red Star Belgrade (Serbia).

One player who may lead the team to greatness this year has not been mentioned by many pundits but insiders have told me he will make a major impact in the Eredivisie. Arriving early in the window was Denys Oliynyk from Dnipro on a two-year deal. The Ukrainian international was once considered to be one of the most talented players of his generation, however, he has only played 13 games in the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see what happens with this player if he makes the first team.

Ajax will be looking to explode out of the blocks in front of their own crowd to make amends from last weekend’s disappointment; however Vitesse will be prepared for this. Without their World Cup stars, I’m predicting Ajax will find this game a struggle and the draw is my recommended bet.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (33/10 – Bet Victor)

WILLEM II vs. PSV (15:30 BST)

PSV Eindhoven was in Austria this past Thursday to advance to the next round of the Europa League qualifiers, while Willem II would have been resting up preparing for this game, in their return to the Eredivisie.

PSV enter this game with a fantastic head-to-head record, having won their last 17 matches against Willem II in all competitions and I cannot see the streak being broken. Philip Cocu’s men should get the season underway with a hefty victory over Jurgen Streppel’s side. New striker Luuk de Jong has already notched this year in the Europa League and with most wanted Memphis Depay returning from a fantastic World Cup ready to fire PSV to a title challenge. I fail to see the likes of Jordan Peters and Tim Cornelisse keeping them at bay.

Our best bet will be PSV -1 which means we need the Eindhoven side to win by two clear goals to win the bet.

RECCOMMENDED BET

PSV -1 Handicap (31/20 – Bet Victor)

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EREDIVISIE: Heracles 0-3 AZ Alkmaar

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

HERACLES 0 – 3 AZ ALKMAAR

Marco Van Basten’s AZ side ran out 3-0 winners over Heracles in his first match in charge of the club, but it wasn’t as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, especially in the first half, but quality won out in the end.

Heracles started the match well, with a lot of crisp passing and they kept the ball well. AZ hardly had a kick of the ball in the opening ten minutes, when they did, they looked very uncomfortable and rushed in possession. This may have been down to the impressive work rate of their opposition, who were pressing well. The first chance came around in the opening minute as the home side managed to get in behind AZ, but Oussama Tannane shot over the bar. The opening exchanges were encouraging for the home side, but it was unlikely that they could play at such intensity for the entire match and that proved as AZ slowly managed to show their ability.

The front three of AZ have lots of ability and all three started to threaten the Heracles defence. Both Steven Berghuis and the new signing from Fulham, Muamer Tankovic forced saves with shots from range, while Guus Hupperts started to pose a lot of questions down the left hand side and the pressing of the front caused the home side’s defence to make several errors in their own half when in possession.

However, it was Heracles who had the better chances, a deflected effort from Thomas Bruns came very close to breaking the deadlock after good work from Linssen on the left, while the midfielder had another great chance minutes later, but he fired over when Ilias Bel Hassani picked him out on the edge of the area. The home side had a shout for a penalty as well as Bryan Linssen was clumsily taken down by Esteban, who looked shaky at times, but AZ got the decision in their favour.

The second half started in the same way as the first, with Heracles coming out of the blocks quickly, good play down their right, led to Bel Hassani getting space in the box and he came close to opening the scoring, hitting the post. The quality of the AZ front three started to show as the half wore on and two were involved in the opener. A hopeful long ball was played up to Tankovic and the clearance fell to Steven Berghuis. His low shot squirmed underneath the keeper. It was perhaps harsh on the home side, but it gave AZ confidence and they doubled their advantage just minutes later.

Wide player Guus Hupperts drifted inside, evaded a challenge and curled his shot into the top right hand corner from the edge of the area. It was a super goal to mark his debut for the club. The signing from Roda JC was a constant threat and he will become very important for Van Basten as the season progresses.

As the match progressed, Heracles still threatened, but their poor decision making in the final third meant they couldn’t get back into the match. It’s clear they will be a difficult team to play against this season. Unfortunately for them, AZ’s quality shone through in the end as forward Tankovic scored the first after Berghuis’ shot from range was pushed into his path. He was the second AZ player to score on his debut for the club and it was fitting all three attackers scored as they were excellent for the entire match. They will certainly create problems for teams this season and the return of Aron Jóhannsson will only add to the attacking threat at Marco Van Basten’s disposal.

TEAMS

HERACLES: Telgenkamp, Schenkeveld, Aktaou, Zomer, Te Wierik, Sibum (Cziommer 73), Bruns, Bel Hassani, Linssen, Tannane (Weghorst 69), Fledderus (Gyasi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Castro, Paljic, Pelupessy, Engberink.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Fledderus 64.

AZ: Esteban, Johansson, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Ortiz, Gudelj, Hendriksen, Poulse, Berghuis, Hupperts (Haps 85), Tankovic (Rosheuvel 78).

SUBS NOT USED: Rochet, Elm, Hoedt, Haye, Luckassen.

GOALS: Berghuis 56, Hupperts 63, Tankovic 76.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar)

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