Tag Archives: PSV

EREDIVISIE: PSV 3-0 Excelsior

October 6, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER 2014

PSV 3-0 EXCELSIOR

Despite their exploits in Europe, PSV outclassed Excelsior on Sunday, with pace and quality in the final third being the decisive factor. The home side are really making a claim for the title this season, after years of domination by Ajax writes Jake Jackman.

It was going to be difficult for PSV after playing in Russia just days ago, and Excelsior started well to increase the pressure, making the most of the tiredness of the home players. Although Jurgen Locadia had an early chance, which was saved well by Coutinho, the pressure was all Excelsior for the next 15 minutes. Jordan Botaka had a couple of chances and looked very dangerous with his pace, but he failed to produce quality when it came to the final product.

PSV started to show their quality, with Florian Jozefzoon and Luciano Narsingh proving numerous problems for the Excelsior defence, who were playing a high line, which was going to get exploited eventually. The home side scored a disallowed goal, through Jozefzoon as the pressure increased. Both Jozefzoon and Georginio Wijnaldum forced good saves out of the Excelsior keeper Coutinho. The former then had another chance from a header, but put it straight at Coutinho.

The home side managed to get Jozefzoon and Narsingh through on the wings on numerous occasions, but Excelsior were defending well in last ditch situations, which allowed them to keep the scores level. The two PSV wingers were looking very good as the first half progressed, but it was a bizarre way that led to PSV opening the scoring as Adam Maher put the ball back into the danger area, and confusion between the Excelsior defence and Coutinho led to the ball creeping in at the far post. The limited celebrations show that a shot wasn’t Maher’s intentions, but PSV won’t complain.

The home side nearly doubled their lead through right back Arias, as his deflected shot forced a great save out of Coutinho, who had to tip it over the bar. PSV did score before the break as their pace paid dividends as Locadia timed his run well to find space behind the Excelsior defence, before his shot goalwards was converted by Narsingh.

The second half was all PSV to start with as Wijnaldum and Jozefzoon both had shots saved early on, before an excellent finish from Jurgen Locadia saw the home side go three in front. It was a classic forward’s goal, as he finished well from close range. The pressure continued to build and the resistance showed early from Excelsior had all but disappeared.

Then something happened that could have allowed Excelsior back into the match as Jeffrey Bruma got a straight red card for a foul just outside the penalty box, although there was a lot of disagreement from PSV, which also saw Phillip Cocu get sent to the stands. Heracles then had a lot of chances to close the deficit as Sander Fischer, Adil Auassar, Rick Kruys and Daryl van Mieghem all had chances, but none of them could find the back of the net.

The game was fading out as the result was secured, but there were still chances for both sides. Andres Guardado missed the target worth a header after finding space in the box, while Luigi Bruins forced a good save from Jeroen Zoet. Substitute Rai Vloet had a late chance, but saw his shot fly wide.

It was a good contest for the first twenty minutes, as Excelsior looked sharp, but as soon as PSV opened the scoring, the quality shone through and they went on to dominate the game. The attacking trio of Locadia, Jozefzoon and Narsingh were all impressive and it shows the depth of the squad available to Cocu. The sending off of Bruma had little effect and PSV’s good start continues.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Heerenveen 1-0 PSV

September 28, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2014

HEERENVEEN 1 – 0 PSV

Potential star of the future Daley Sinkgraven grabbed the winner as PSV lost for only the second time this season and both sides have a man sent off writes Ryan O’Grady.

The home side came into this game missing striker Sam Larsson and having lost to Eerste Divisie side Roda JC 2-1 in the cup. Coach Dwight Lodeweges was scathing in his reflection on the game whilst captain Martin de Roon said the six senior players who played in that game had to take responsibility, not the 5 youngsters who were replaced for this game. PSV also brought an injury list with them as Andrés Guardado, Luuk de Jong and star player Memphis Depay were all missing, however PSV did manage to win their midweek cup game against FC Utrecht 2-0.

Despite it being goalless in the first half it was far from boring, the half had 18 attempts on goal and a red card to boot as well. PSV got themselves an early half chance in only the 38th second after Adam Maher just managed to keep the ball in on the sideline before playing a low cross to Jurgen Locadia but the ball bobbled just before the Dutch striker hit it and as a result it went wide of the near post. Heerenveen then took control of the game, pressing high and repeatedly forcing mistakes from PSV players. Their first chance came in the 5th minute when Joey van den Berg had a dangerous shot that looked goal bound but it his teammate, German frontman Mark Uth. They then had another chance only two minutes later when Daley Sinkgraven brilliantly controlled a long ball on his chest before knocking past a defender. Unfortunately he could only muster a weak shot and as a result Jeroen Zoet recovered the ball easily. Despite dominating, Heerenveen’s final ball wasn’t always great and as a result they sometimes struggled to break down the PSV defence. They nearly had a stroke of luck in the 21st minute when Joost van Aken mishit a long range effort and it was going well wide but Uth nearly ran onto it and had he been able to control it then he would’ve been through on goal.

The direction of the first half started to change after that chance with PSV starting to come back into the game. In the 26th minute Luciano Narsingh ran into the box before pulling the ball back for Georginio Wijnaldum who back heeled it to Florian Jozefzoon who hit a low curled effort towards the bottom corner but Kristoffer Nordfeldt in the Heerenveen net managed to change direction at the last second and push it just past the post. Heerenveen did have a couple of chances in the period of PSV dominance, these were both down to Jetro Willems, firstly when the ball was played to Luciano Slagveer on the right wing Willems slipped allowing Slagveer to race clear. Fortunately for Willems, Slagveer tried to square it for Uth rather than shoot himself and Jeffrey Bruma knocked it behind for a corner. Then both Willems and Sinkgraven went for the ball in the 32nd minute but Willems appeared to pull out allowing SInkgraven to cross for Uth who after controlling it with his chest hit a shot on the spin that was well saved by Zoet.

Then came the first of the two sending offs. Jozefzoon was put through and was in on goal when Stefano Marzo appeared to cut across the back of the PSV winger bringing him down. As Marzo was the last man he was sent off but replays showed that Jozefzoon had gone a bit theatrically although the red card was justifiable. Almost immediately afterwards Locadia went down in the box and half-heartedly appealed for a penalty but referee Kevin Blom wasn’t swayed and simply told the young striker to get back on his feet.

PSV threatened early in the second half as well, Adam Maher had a decent chance in the 53rd minute when he hit the side netting from a tight angle. The game swung back in Heerenveen’s favour in the 68th minute when Joshua Brenet was sent off for a challenge on Uth. It initially seemed harsh but replays showed that Brenet clearly had his studs up and caught Uth on his inner thigh after the ball had already gone. This forced Phillip Cocu to bring off striker Jurgen Locadia for defender Santiago Arias. Heerenveen’s pressure finally payed off in the 77th minute after some neat build-up play resulted in a goal for Daley Sinkgraven. Initially Slagveer had the ball just inside PSV’s half. He passed the ball to Uth who immediately gave it back with a lovely first time pass, Slagveer then drew in two PSV defenders creating space for Sinkgraven who he then subsequently passed to. The young Dutchman then appeared to get the ball stuck underneath his feet but then produced a lovely finish into the top corner leaving Zoet with no chance. PSV obviously needed to get back into the game but they were only able to muster up one decent opportunity which fell to Jeffrey Bruma. A shot from Wijnaldum was deflected off Doke Schmidt for a corner and the resulting ball in fell to the feet of Bruma but he could only put his effort over the bar.

TEAMS

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, van Aanholt, van Aken, Buijs, van den Berg (van Amersfoort 82’), de Roon, Thorsby (Schmidt 36’), Sinkgraven, Uth (Dalgaard 89’), Slagveer

Subs not used: Otigba, Raitala, Warmolts, de Fockert

Goals: Sinkgraven 77’

Bookings: Sinkgraven 34’

Red Cards: Marzo 33’

PSV: Zoet, Bruma, Rekik, Willems, Hendrix (Vloet 81’), Brenet, Wijnaldum, Maher (Ritzmaier 78’), Narsingh, Jozefzoon, Locadia (Arias 73’)

Subs not used: Isimat-Mirin, Pasveer, Leemans, Boljević

Goals: None.

Bookings: Willems 41’, Jozefzoon 67’

Red Cards: Brenet 68’

MAN OF THE MATCH: Daley Sinkgraven (Heerenveen)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: PEC Zwolle 3-1 PSV

September 14, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

PEC ZWOLLE 3 – 1 PSV

The underdogs of Zwolle have bitten another big dog and sent them away with their tails between their legs. This time it was the turn of Philip Cocu’s PSV to take home a 3-1 defeat to the hands of Ron Jans’ men after they lost superstar Memphis Depay to an early injury writes Will Burns.

Zwolle started debutant Warner Hahn in goal after the sale of Diederik Boer to Ajax on deadline day but it was his opposite number Jeroen Zoet was called into action first pulling off a save from the lively Jody Lukoki. Hahn’s gloves were warmed up minutes later as Depay fired a trademark free-kick at the young stopper. Depay, scorer of five goals in his last four Eredivisie games, did not last on the pitch much longer as he was struggling with a thigh problem and was replaced by striker Jurgen Locadia.

PSV were stupidly given a penalty kick by Joost Broerse after clearly handballing in the area from a corner kick. Luuk de Jong fired the ball straight down the middle to give PSV the lead and score his second goal of the campaign.

However, just before half-time the home side were given an equaliser by Zoet as Jesper Drost’s drive from the edge of the area was palmed in by the keeper. A shocking error that lifted the IJsseldelta Stadion as Zwolle surged on for a second, Cocu was desperate to hear Danny Makkelie’s half-time whistle.

Just after the hour-mark, tricky winger Ryan Thomas earned a free-kick after half-time substitute Oskar Hiljemark bundled him over around 30 yards out. The home fans clapped in unison as Broerse set-up the free-kick like a pole-vaulter at the Olympic Games. The 34-year-old defender smashed home a beauty to make it 2-1 and to earn redemption off the delighted Zwolle supporters for his earlier handball.

Ben Rienstra capped the night off after surging into the area, overpowering Hiljemark and chipping a wonderful effort over Zoet to cement the points late on.

Zwolle once again show tremendous character to win an important game inside a big atmosphere as PSV will now worry how long Depay will be missing from this team who are ready to mount a serious challenge for the league championship.

TEAMS

ZWOLLE: Hahn, Van Polen, Sainsbury, Broerse, Van Hintum, Rienstra, Lam (Van der Werff 90), Lukoki (Saymak 75), Drost, Thomas (Nijland 69), Necid.

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

GOALS: Drost 41, Broerse 65, Rienstra 87.

BOOKINGS: Broerse 32, Lam 62.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Rekik, Bruma, Willems (Jozefzoon 86), Guardado, Wijnaldum, Maher (Hiljemark 46), Narsingh, De Jong, Depay (Locadia 18).

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Isimat-Mirin, Brenet, Hendrix.

GOALS: De Jong 32P.

BOOKINGS: Hiljemark 64, Bruma 90.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Joost Broerse (PEC Zwolle)

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NEWS, TRANSFERS

Nicolas Isimat-Mirin – Monaco’s Dynamic Young Centre-half Joins PSV

September 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Today, Eredivisie league leaders PSV announced the loan signing of French defender Nicolas Isimat-Mirin to strengthened their defensive options and give the young Frenchman the perfect opportunity to get some experience. What is the 22-year-old going to bring to PSV? French Football expert Andrew Davidson explains.

Nicolas Isimat-Mirin *(image courtesy of PICS UNITED at PSV.nl)*

A Parisian native, born in Meudon in the capitals’ suburbs, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin is a graduate of the famed Clairefontaine academy and has been a rising star in French football for a couple of years now, although that star has been dimmed over the past year or so.

The 22 year old centre-back has struggled to break into the Monaco team since his move there last year; however he attracted much attention in his stand-out year at Valenciennes two seasons ago. A strong, agile player with a tremendous physique, he was excellent for the club, providing a solid platform at the back which helped take the team to 3^rd in Ligue 1 at the halfway stage.

A drop in form for the team as a whole led to an 11th place finish, but Isimat-Mirin’s performances drew high praise. Rumours of interest from Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool came to nothing, and it was eventually big-spending Monaco who grabbed the youngster’s signature.

At the time Monaco, freshly stacked with billionaire cash and a Ligue 2 title, were on a charm offensive as the other clubs faced a vote over taxation issues to keep them in the league. It was widely reported that the principality club were snapping up young prospects, for fair prices, to garner favour with their rivals.

Whatever the reasons behind the move, nobody who saw the Haitain descendants’ performances could argue – he belonged at a club where he could realise his potential. Making just 6 appearances hasn’t dimmed the hope that he can become a bright prospect for club and country in the future.

A loan move to PSV will give Isimat-Mirin (simply ‘Isimat’ on his shirt) exactly what he needs – regular game time in a competitive league, however he has the central pairing of Karim Rekik and Jeffrey Bruma ahead of him. He can only mature in the challenge of playing abroad for the first time, and will relish the chance. Meanwhile, PSV fans can look forward to his dynamic play from the back.

Explosive off the mark, he is quick for a big man, and particularly adept at running down and cutting out wide moves and through balls. He is strong in the air too, and uses his height and strength well. And the bonus – he’s excellent with his feet, able to take the ball forward and pick a pass. He has that air of confidence and composure so rarely found in younger centre-backs at the top level at the moment, and this, no doubt, is what has impressed PSV coach Philip Cocu.

The player has been capped at Under-20 and Under-21 level for France and will hope that, as he approaches his 23^rd birthday in November, he will begin to hit the form that can catapult him into the full squad. Compared with Mamadou Sakho during his time in France, Isimat-Mirin would certainly like to join him in the heart of the defence when the European Championships come to France in 2016.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: PSV 2-0 Vitesse

August 31, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

PSV 2 – 0 VITESSE

Luuk de Jong grabs his first goal for PSV as he helps the Eindhoven side to a somewhat flattering 2-0 win against a Vitesse side who will be pleased with some aspects of their performance reports Ryan O’Grady.

PSV came into this game off the back of a brilliant 3-1 win away at Ajax that shocked the Amsterdam Arena crowd. Vitesse however were coming into this game having lost 2-1 to PEC Zwolle despite controlling large parts of the game. PSV made one change to the side for today’s game, new loan signing from Valencia, Andres Guardado replaced Jorrit Hendrix in midfield.

The first 40 minutes of this game belonged to Vitesse who from the get go pressed the PSV players high up the pitch. In only the second minute Guardado was dispossessed by Traoré on the edge of the box but the on-loan Chelsea midfielder could only get off a weak effort that was easily saved by Zoet.

After the first 15 minutes Vitesse already had 67% possession. Vitesse nearly wasted their early dominance when in the 15thminute a long ball was played forward that should’ve been easily dealt with by the Vitesse defence but instead Diks seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with the ball and decided to touch it behind for a corner without realising Depay was behind him but luckily Depay couldn’t capitalise.

Although Vitesse were the better team for most of the first half they rarely created any chances with Traoré having a couple that were easily saved and Vejinovic with a long range effort that was miles above the crossbar. Then in the last 5 minutes of the first half Vitesse appeared to let up slightly on their pressing game and PSV came into the game.

Firstly some good inter-play down the right wing resulted in Maher knocking the ball past Kashia on the edge of the box and seemingly through on goal but the central defender recovered well and managed to clear. Then Diks again couldn’t cope with a long ball and his poor touch fell to Narsingh who cut inside and unleashed a shot that was well saved by Velthuizen in the Vitesse net.

The first minute and a half of the second half started well for Vitesse before a quick counter attack by PSV resulted in a goal. Luuk De Jong picked the ball up around thirty yards out and ran towards goal but overran the ball, however the clearance by the Vitesse defence ricocheted off another defender and the ball fell to Narsingh who poked it towards De Jong and he side footed the ball into the corner of the net.

PSV then started a period of dominance that didn’t result in many chances. In the 61st minute Narsingh received the ball inside the box in a dangerous position but over ran the ball and it was easily cleared. During this period of dominance Vitesse did have one chance, Traoré tricked his way past two PSV players and ran into the box but was unable to get enough power behind his shot that was easily collected by Zoet.

In the 70th minute Depay crossed to Maher who mishit the ball but fortunately it landed to Narsingh although he could only hit the side netting. Vitesse came back into the game just after this chance. Substitute Achenteh was allowed to run towards the corner of the box before unleashing a powerful drive that went out for a corner after smacking the post. Then a cross came in from the left hand side of the box that was pushed away by Zoet straight to Labyad on the edge of the box whose shot was well saved by again by Zoet and ricocheted of Dauda’s head to go out for a goal kick. PSV went down the other end and Depay was allowed to come inside and release a shot but it went about two yards wide.

This was followed up in the 89th minute when substitute Jozefzoon played a lovely through ball to de Jong in the box and he should have scored from close range but his shot was well saved by Velthuizen, who was Vitesse’s man of the match. Velthuizen could do nothing about the next effort from PSV. Kashia slid for the ball about 40 yards out and completely missed it allowing Depay to run onto the ball and he tried to round the keeper but Velthuizen got a touch on it. Unfortunately for him the touch fell straight to Adam Maher who blasted it in from the edge of the box. To round the game off Depay had a chance at the very end but he slipped at the vital moment.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Rekik, Bruma, Willems (Arias 69), Maher, Guardado (Hiljemark 75), Wijnaldum, Narsingh (Jozefzoon 83), De Jong, Depay

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Locadia, Ritzmaier, Hendrix.

GOALS: De Jong 48, Maher 90+1.

BOOKINGS: Maher 34, Guardado 73, Hiljemark 85.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Diks, Kashia, Van der Heijden, Kruiswijk (Achenteh 60), Vejinovic, Pröpper, Leerdam, Labyad, Qazaishvili (Dauda 60), Traoré (Olinyk 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Mori, McEachran, Ibarra.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Kruiswijk 24.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jeroen Zoet (PSV)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 4: Sunday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 30, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday brings three live games to Sky Sports 5 from the ever entertaining Eredivisie and Will Burns is here to select his four top tips.

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

PSV vs. VITESSE (11:30 BST)

Philip Cocu’s PSV are oozing with confidence after last weekend’s 3-1 victory in ‘De Topper’ against bitter rivals Ajax. The speed of Luciano Narsingh and Memphis Depay on opposite wings, demolished the Amsterdammers defence in the second half and I see these two causing problems for Peter Bosz’ Vitesse.

Depay, Europe’s most-wanted, gave the Eindhoven side another boost and signed a new contract this past week, he will be looking for celebrate his stay with more goals. The 20-year-old has currently netted five times in just three league games and eight in six of the season so far.

Without a win this season, Bosz’s side have now lost their last six away games in the Eredivisie and you can expect that dreary run to continue. Zakaria Labyad has made a strong start this season and with the team devoid of an out-and-out striker and struggling to finish chances, he will be the visitors’ main threat.

Many defences will fail to cope with PSV this season and with the Arnhem outfit already conceded eight goals in three matches, Vitesse could see a beating. Expect to witness goals and De Boeren winning by at least two with PSV -1 on the handicap valued at 7/5.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PSV -1 (7/5 – Betfair)

FC GRONINGEN vs. AJAX (13:30 BST)

FC Groningen host a wounded animal in Ajax and Frank de Boer will be looking to this game as the perfect chance to get back to winning ways, although this may be a tough test at the Euroborg Stadion.

Groningen’s home form is excellent and they are currently on a six-game winning streak and like PSV, Edwin van der Looi’s side possess a lot of pace in attack. Until last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat away to ADO Den Haag, Groningen have no trouble scoring with six goals in two games and Ajax proved last weekend they are vulnerable defensively.

As Ajax look for an unprecedented fifth Eredivisie title in succession they are lacking a top striker. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, recently linked with Queens Park Rangers, and on-loan forward Arkadiusz Milik have failed to inspire in the opening games so De Boer has relied on midfielders Lasse Schöne and Davy Klaassen along with 19-year-old wide striker Anwar El Ghazi to find the net this term.

A total of fourteen goals have been scored by these two sides in their first three outings, so the goalkeepers should have a real workout in this one. Over 3.5 Goals is valued at 6/4 and I see this is the best way to make a profit in this match.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Over 3.5 Goals (6/4 – Betfair)

NAC BREDA vs. PEC ZWOLLE (13:30 BST)

After European heartache midweek, Ron Jans will be hoping PEC Zwolle can bounce back with a win over NAC Breda, who are yet to win a game this season.

Sparta Prague ran out 3-1 winners on Thursday to knock Jans’ men out on their first ever European adventure. One thing is on their mind this season – get back into the Europa League. Sunday brings a good chance to help those dreams as they travel to Breda to face perennial strugglers NAC. NAC have Adnane Tighouadini to thank for the two draws they have achieved this season against Excelsior and last weekend against Twente.

However, I feel PEC Zwolle with a 100% record in the Eredivisie will be out to rectify Thursday’s defeat and they should have too much for NAC and leave Breda come Sunday afternoon will all three points. Betfair offer 7/4 for the Zwolle win and this price is decent for a team with three wins in three in the league this campaign.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Zwolle to win (7/4 – Betfair)

FC TWENTE vs. FEYENOORD (15:45 BST)

After selling the bulk of their stars in the summer, the Rotterdammers have suffered a stuttering season so far. After being emphatically knocked out of the Champions League by Beşiktaş, Fred Rutten’s side then a found narrow win against ADO before being held to a draw to Heerenveen.

Then last Sunday, Feyenoord suffered a bad defeat at De Kuip against FC Utrecht and one weak link in that game was young defender Sven van Beek. Big things are predicted for the 20-year-old centre-back however, he was easily beaten by teenager Rodney Antwi to score his first ever professional goal in the Utrecht’s 2-1 win.

Van Beek will have to deal with bigger and better things this Sunday, with six-foot two-inch striker Luc Castaignos looking sharp at the start of the campaign. Supplying him is skilful winger Youness Mokhtar and a new look midfield of Hakim Ziyech and Kamohelo Mokotjo.

Three great talents that have shown over the past season, that they are capable of providing the magic to win a game. Twente have the team to punish Feyenoord and I am backing the boys from Enschede at 21/20 to clinch all three points.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Twente to win (21/20 – Betfair)

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EUROPA LEAGUE, EUROPA LEAGUE REPORT

EUROPA LEAGUE: FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk 0-2 PSV

August 28, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

THURSDAY 28TH AUGUST

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYOFF – SECOND LEG

FC SHAKHTYOR SOLIGORSK 0 – 2 PSV

PSV win 3-0 on aggregate

Memphis Depay scored two late goals in a poor games against FC Shakhtyor, to send PSV into tomorrow’s group stage draw writes Will Burns.

Philip Cocu named a strong side in Belarus this evening as a place in the Europa League group stages and around €3 million in revenue was at stake. Only a few changes in the eleven that defeated rivals Ajax last Sunday, with the impressive Luciano Narsingh on the bench with Jetro Willems with Georginio Wijnaldum not in the matchday eighteen. Oskar Hiljemark sat in the midfield with Jürgen Locadia up front and Abel Tamata lining up at left-back.

The hostile environment inside the Borisov Arena may scared the two sides into playing, as the first half was a weak show by both teams with only six shots being exchanged throughout the first 45 minutes. Half-time came with no goals which came as no surprise since the chances were limited.

The second half was more of the same with both sides very cautious and Shakhtyor knowing one more goal from PSV would kill off the tie. PSV should have received a penalty after Memphis Depay was tripped in the area by Ihar Kuzmianok however, Welsh referee Lee Evans waved away appeals.

Chances for Depay and Luuk de Jong went begging and it looked like PSV were holding on for the 0-0 draw that would put them through. However, in the dying minutes Depay provided two goals and some magic to send the Eindhoven fans back to Holland with a smile on their face. Depay slalomed through the Shakhytor defence, skipping past Alyaksey Yanushkevich then avoiding Kuzmianok’s challenge to slot home past Artur Kotenko to give Cocu’s men the lead.

In stoppage time, Depay added a second and his eighth goal in six games to put PSV in tomorrow’s Europa League group stage draw.

TEAMS

FC SHAKHTYOR: Kotenko, Yurevich, Kuzmianok, Matveichyk, Yanushkevich, Leonchik, Rios, Stargorodskiy, Galyuza (Yanush 63), Guruli (Wojciechowski 55), Osipenko.

SUBS NOT USED: Gavrilov, Tsevan, Tupchiy, Kovalev, Vasilewski.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Rios 70, Yanush 79.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Bruma, Rekik, Tamata, Maher (Ritzmaier 79), Hendrix, Hiljemark, Locadia (Narsingh 67), De Jong, Depay.

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Koch, Willems, Vloet, Jozefzoon.

GOALS: Depay 89 & 90+2

BOOKINGS: Brenet 64.

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BETTING TIPS, EUROPA LEAGUE, EUROPA LEAGUE PREVIEW

EUROPA LEAGUE PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

August 27, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Four Eredivisie sides in Europa League playoff action this Thursday night and Total Dutch Football’s Will Burns, Lawk Raoof and Ryan O’Grady provide their best bets for all four encounters.

THURSDAY 28TH AUGUST

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYOFF SECOND LEG

FC SHAKHTYOR SOLIGORSK vs. PSV (18:00 BST)

The return leg in the Borisov Arena in Belarus will be an interesting match. The prize is €2m or €3m for qualifying, big interest and big prizes for both the teams, who will prevail? Lawk Raoof thinks PSV will find life easy in Belarus.

With a marginal 1-0 home win for PSV in the first leg, this upcoming clash for a Europa League place is hardly settled. The Eindhoven side narrowly defeated a good organized Shaktyor Soligorsk and with the previous Eredivisie clash against arch enemy Ajax, it will be a tough fight to win this game for De Boeren. With the great prize money on the line, both teams will be eager to get through. The home advantage cannot be ignored, winning 5-1 against Derry City and a 5-2 victory against Zulte Waregem are great wins and shows the power and thrive this teams has got in their home ties.

However PSV take with them two players in real form, Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay will be the great weapons for this match. Also, with the one goal lead, PSV can relax and Shaktyor has to attack to force a goal. This leads to an opportunity for Philip Cocu’s side to profit from the room they will get and counter, which was proven to be deadly against Ajax on Sunday.

Place a small stake on 2-0 for a PSV win, as the counter attack combined with the individual class of Depay and Wijnaldum means they will easily win this match in Belarus.

RECOMMENDED BET

PSV to win 2-0 (7/1 – Bet Victor)

FC TWENTE vs. QARABAĞ FK (18:30 BST)

Qarabag FK held FC Twente to 0-0 draw in Azerbaijan last week but Will Burns thinks Alfred Schreuder’s men should progress comfortably.

Qarabag showed last week that they had talents that could threaten Twente. The Brazilian contingent of Danilo Leandro Dias, Chumbinho, Richard Almeida and Reynaldo created problems from Darryl Lachman and Rasmus Bengtsson. However, Schreuder can boast talents like Hakim Ziyech, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Youness Mokhtar, Kasper Kusk and Luc Castaignos, the Enschede side are too strong to see a decent victory come full-time.

Except the home side to come out of this match with a two or three goal win to progress into the Europa League group stages in style.

RECOMMENDED BET

Twente -1 (13/8 – Bet Victor)

FEYENOORD vs. ZOYRA LUHANSK (19:00 BST)

After an awful display at the weekend, Fred Rutten’s Feyenoord will look to bounce back on Thursday and send themselves through to the Europa League group stages, Ryan O’Grady believes they can.

A potentially season-changing game awaits Feyenoord on Thursday night. An uneventful and rather dull first leg ended in 1-1 draw which means that if the second leg ends 0-0, which is a possibility consider the performances in the first leg, it will see Feyenoord progress into the group stages.

However if Zorya were able to spring an upset and Feyenoord were knocked out then it is almost certain that Jordy Clasie will leave, if it is has not already (he missed training on Monday adding more fuel to the fire). Such a top quality player isn’t likely to stay with the club if there is no European competition and it could also affect whom the club bring in as no Europa League means less money with which Fred Rutten and the board will able to play with, which is likely to completely rule out the signing of a striker such as Guidetti, a signing that already didn’t look promising.

A much improved performance is needed for Fred Rutten’s side after a disappointing defeat at home to FC Utrecht at the weekend, whilst Zorya are coming off the back of a 0-0 draw away to Chernomorets.

SPARTA PRAGUE vs. PEC ZWOLLE (19:20 BST)

Ron Jans’ PEC Zwolle are in the form team in the Netherlands right now, starting an undefeated season with wins over Vitesse and Ajax, however Will Burns thinks it may be tough in Prague on Thursday night.

Zwolle improved vastly in the second half on Sunday to clinch a great 2-1 win over Vitesse and were dreadfully unlucky not to grab a win last Thursday. After missing a penalty in the first leg, defender Maikel van der Werff scored a free-kick, albeit deflected, on Sunday in the home victory.

They travel to Prague to face Sparta who over the weekend lost a derby match against Dukla Prague by a goal to nil, which may inspire them to triumph in this match to appease the home fans. They currently sit fourth in the Czech top flight with nine points in five games.

This match could be a tight one, with Sparta defending their away goal or Zwolle will go forward in search to a vital away goal themselves. Either way, expect this game to finish a draw, either going to extra time (1-1) or a Zwolle away goals win (2-2).

RECOMMENDED BET

Draw (3/1 – Bet Victor)

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NEWS, TRANSFERS

PSV loan Mexican winger from Valencia

August 26, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

It’s official, 27-year-old Andrés Guardado has signed a one-year loan deal to play with Philip Cocu’s PSV Eindhoven writes Lawk Raoof.

The Mexican midfielder who has 108 caps to his name his country, passed his medical today with flying colours and is available to play this Sunday at home to Vitesse in the Eredivisie.

Guardado started his career with Atlas based in Guadalajara, Mexico and nearly transferred to PSV in the summer of 2007. However, he chose to go to Spain with Deportivo La Coruna and after five seasons, he transferred to Valencia, where he is under contract till 2016 with the Valencianistas.

At this summer’s World Cup, the 108-time international competed in all of Mexico’s games and scored against Croatia (a 3-1 win) and played in the quarter final against the Netherlands (a 2-1 loss).

This is undoubtedly the biggest and most impressive transfer into the Eredivisie this season and it enhances PSV’s chances to win the Eredivisie championship this season and UEFA Europa League. However, it is most likely to cost Jorrit Hendrix and Oskar Hiljemark their place as defensive midfielder, as it is Guardado who will be top-candidate for that spot in the midfield.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Ajax 1-3 PSV

August 24, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 24TH AUGUST 2014

AJAX 1 – 3 PSV

It was a great match between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven in ‘De Topper’ with lots of goals and entertainment. The away side ran out 3-1 winners at the Amsterdam ArenA, proving themselves as title challengers reports Jake Jackman.

It’s always exciting when Ajax and PSV Eindhoven meet in the Eredivisie and this match was no different, especially as many are tipping PSV to be serious challengers for the title this season. Ricardo van Rhijn was back in the starting eleven after his serious injury, while Daley Blind started in midfield, despite interest from Manchester United. The visitors had Kerim Rekik back in their defence, after he was again signed on a loan deal. Memphis Depay had an early chance, but blazed over from the edge of the area. Ajax also had a good early opportunity as Davy Klaassen’s powerful header was saved well by Jeroen Zoet.

Ajax took the lead after 16 minutes after Anwar El Ghazi glanced a header over Jeroen Zoet who was closing down the youngster. The delivery from Klaassen was exceptional, but Zoet’s positioning was poor, don’t let that take away from the goal though, as it was a wonderful bit of quick thinking from El Ghazi on his first league start. The goal was perhaps against the run of play after PSV’s impressive start. The home side nearly doubled their lead, after a powerful run from Nicolai Boilesen, who played a one two with Lasse Schone, forced a good save out of Zoet with a low powerful shot inside the box.

Georginio Wijnaldum was one of the best players on the pitch in the first half, dictating play in the Ajax half when PSV had possession of the football and he forced a save from Jasper Cillessen mid way through the first 45 minutes. Calamity nearly struck for the away side as Van Rhijn’s ball was nearly sliced in by Joshua Brenet. His poor clearance could have went anyway, but luckily for Phillip Cocu’s men, it went wide.

Ajax started the second half on the front foot, with the right hand side of El Ghazi and Van Rhijn looking really good, but just minutes into the second half, the former had to be withdrawn. Ajax will be hoping that the injury isn’t too serious as the youngster has looked excellent in the opening few matches. Although the home side nearly doubled their lead through Schone, it was PSV who scored the first goal of the second half as Luciano Narsingh got past the Ajax defence utilising his pace, before he squared it to Memphis Depay, who slotted into an empty net. It was the Dutchman’s fifth Eredivisie goal of the season.

The pressure continued to build with Narsingh and Depay showing exactly why they are among the most talented attackers in the Eredivisie and it was the former who scored PSV’s second goal. Luuk de Jong picked up the ball in the Ajax half and played a perfectly weighted ball through to the winger who finished calmly past the Ajax keeper. The away side were showing exactly why many feel they will be title challengers this year.

The home side were pressing hard for an equaliser and came so close after Niklas Moisander was through one on one with Zoet, but fluffed his lines as his shot flew widely over the bar. Frank de Boer would have wished that chance had fallen to one of his forward players as it was the perfect chance to equalise.

Ajax continued to push for their second goal of the game as Schone fired just wide from a free kick, it was extremely close and PSV started to look nervy as they tried to take three points away from the Amsterdam ArenA. PSV always promised to be dangerous on the break and so it proved as they grabbed their third goal through Florian Jozefzoon who successfully got on the end of a long ball, despite pressure from Blind and Joel Veltman. The two Ajax defenders really should have done better.

Today showed again how pace exposes Ajax and other sides will have taken note of that. Especially in the second half, as Narsingh and Depay looked fantastic, while the link up play between those two, De Jong and Wijnaldum was brilliant. Ajax looked good at times, but PSV came here with a game plan and it paid off, they didn’t panic when they went behind and they showed their class in the end. The final week of the transfer window could prove pivotal for both sides as Ajax look likely to lose Blind, while PSV will look to strengthen further. This year’s title race should be intriguing, and like many said pre season, PSV will certainly be right in and amongst it.

TEAMS

AJAX: Cillessen, Van Rhijn (Serero 70), Veltman, Moisander, Boilesen (Ligeon 66), Klaassen, Viergever, Blind, Schöne, Sigthórsson, El Ghazi (Andersen 50).

SUBS NOT USED: Vermeer, Van der Hoorn, Kishna, Milik.

GOALS: El Ghazi 16.

BOOKINGS: None.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Bruma, Rekik, Willems (Tamata 53), Wijnaldum, Hendrix, Maher (Hiljemark 70), Narsingh (Jozefzoon 80), De Jong, Depay.

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Koch, Ritzmaier, Locadia.

GOALS: Depay 52, Narsingh 63, Jozefzoon 86.

BOOKINGS: Rekik 12, Depay 61.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Luciano Narsingh (PSV)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

Eredivisie Week 3: Ajax vs. PSV preview and betting tips

August 23, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

SUNDAY 24TH AUGUST

AJAX vs. PSV (15:45 BST)

This Sunday, Ajax Amsterdam face PSV Eindhoven in a crucial early season match-up at the Amsterdam ArenA. Both sides are red-hot after two matches and the winner will have the upper hand in the hunt for the Eredivisie title, which looks to be a two horse race between the two clubs writes Alex Pieter.

The PSV attack is firing on all cylinders after defeating NAC Breda by a count of 6-1 last weekend. The Ajax attack has not been too shabby itself, tallying seven goals in two matches. This match will come down to which side can defend better.

PSV has a strong central-defensive duo in the likes of Karim Rekik and Jeffrey Bruma. Jetro Willems is also a capable left-back however; the weak spot that Ajax must exploit is right-back Santiago Arias. NAC had success going at the young Colombian and Arias will face a much stronger attack this weekend. Whether he can hold up against the likes of Lasse Schöne, Thulani Serero, Davy Klaassen, Ricardo Kishna and Daley Blind will go a long way in determining the result for PSV.

The biggest question mark for the Ajax defence heading into this weekend’s showdown is the fitness of right-back Ricardo van Rhijn. Van Rhijn has been battling a hamstring injury throughout the summer, but hopes to make his comeback this weekend. Frank de Boer will have a big decision on his hands determining whether Van Rhijn is fit to start. The replacement is Ruben Ligeon, who has looked shaky at times in the first few matches. Another question facing the Ajax coach is whether to stick with Mike van der Hoorn at centre-back or go back to Joël Veltman. Veltman will be the starter in due time, but Van der Hoorn has looked solid in his first two matches. Ajax will line up with Niklas Moisander and Nicolai Boilesen as the other central defender and left-back, respectively.

Another question for Ajax is the striker situation. The plans Samuel Eto’o seems to have fallen through. As a result it will be up to Arkadiusz Milik, Kolbeinn Sigthórsson and Zivkovic to carry the load. Although Sigthórsson’s future in Ajax is in question, as a move to Queens Park Rangers looms, and his status for this weekend is still up in the air. Ajax will need big performances out of their wingers and attacking-midfielder Davy Klaassen.

The uncertainty in the Ajax camp is nothing new, as they are more than used to transfer rumours and injury problems. Last year’s captain Siem de Jong spent much of the season battling various injury problems as did Nicolai Boilesen. Frank de Boer is a seasoned coach who always seems to find a way to get the job done.

PSV have yet to reach their full potential. Adam Maher has not played like he is capable of, Luuk de Jong is still finding his feet in a new environment and coach Philip Cocu is still perfecting his rotation. They look to be Ajax’s biggest title challenger this year, with some even coining them the league favourites. If they are to be considered legitimate contenders, they will need to get at least a point in Amsterdam this weekend.

KEY PLAYERS

DALEY BLIND

By now most people know of Blind and what he is capable of. It is blatantly obvious Ajax are a much better team when Blind is in the starting line-up. They looked lost without him in the Johan Cruyff Schaal match against PEC Zwolle. He allows Klaassen to play further up the pitch, where he is most effective. Blind’s distribution also gives Ajax many added dimensions going forward and with the striker situation still in flux, Blind will be the key to unlocking the PSV defence. If he is able to find the likes of Ricardo Kishna, Anwar El-Ghazi, Klaassen and Schöne in space, it bodes well for the Amsterdammers. Blind is also adds extra protection in front of the backline, something that will be crucial against the high powered offense of PSV.

MEMPHIS DEPAY

There is no bigger name in the Eredivisie at the moment. Depay is on the radar of the top clubs from leagues across Europe and his future at PSV has been in constant flux. He is under contract at PSV until 2017, meaning if a club wants him they will have to pay up, likely in excess of €20 million. Depay is the focal point of the PSV attack, though they have other talented players in support, they will look to Depay to shoulder the load. It is not a matter of shutting down Depay for Ajax, he will get his chances, he is that good, it is a matter of controlling those chances and limiting them. If Depay is able to make the most of his chances and pick out his teammates it could spell big trouble for Ajax.

PREDICTION

Both teams are facing distractions, with each club dealing with transfer rumours regarding their star players. Additionally, PSV faced a Europa League playoff match on Thursday night. On paper, PSV has more talent than Ajax and there is little evidence to say otherwise. However, football is not played on paper and Ajax have a better team than PSV. Frank de Boer is the best manager in the Eredivisie and he has the Amsterdam giants headed in the right direction. Also, Ajax has home advantage, where they are extremely tough to beat.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Ajax to win (9/10 – Bet Victor)

Ajax to win 3-2 correct score (20/1 – Bet Victor)

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NEWS

Spurs and Man Utd miss out as Depay signs new PSV deal

August 23, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Lawk Raoof discusses the new and highly improved contract signed by World Cup star Memphis Depay, which looks like the end of the road for Tottenham and Manchester United’s chances of signing the Dutchman.

PSV’s Technical Director Marcel Brands announced this evening that Memphis Depay has signed a new contract binding him till the summer of 2018. After Vloet, Locadia and the team’s captain Georginio Wijnaldum, Depay is the fourth crucial player which signed a new and highly improved contract. Makes him and Wijnaldum PSV’s most paid player with a net yearly salary of approximately €1m and a signing bonus. However, signing an improved contract does not guarantee anything for a club. That’s why Left Forward Depay promised to stay at least one more season with PSV. A great step forward for PSV who will be vying to be this year’s Eredivisie champions. Now with midfielder Wijnaldum and Depay, two of the best and most important players in the Eredivisie are staying in Eindhoven.

Is it all good news then? Not quite. Brands stated that this means there is no longer room for a new player on the attacking front. The budget has been spent to persuade Depay to sign a new contract. Which means that PSV can ask a higher price for him when a big club such as Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur come to buy him. Still, Brands has done the impossible because nobody was expecting Depay to stay after a fabulous World Cup and PSV has got him signed for 4 more years.

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EUROPA LEAGUE, EUROPA LEAGUE REPORT

EUROPA LEAGUE: PSV 1-0 FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk

August 21, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

THURSDAY 21ST AUGUST

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYOFF – FIRST LEG

PSV 1 – 0 FC SHAKHTYOR SOLIGORSK

PSV Eindhoven win the first out of two games after attacking midfielder Adam Maher led his team to a 1-0 win thanks to a deflected shot. Next week the teams face each other in the return leg in Belarus writes Lawk Raoof.

It was clear at the start of the game that Shakhtyor wasn’t headed for Eindhoven to impress the fans with flashing combination football. Sadly, it came only to make football impossible for home-team PSV Eindhoven. PSV impressed by high-tempo pressing football and combination through the middle to break through the Belarus defense of Shakhtyor Saligorshk. However, it was after a quarter hour that the first Dutch opening was created by Brenet after a good combination at the right. But defensive winger Brenet choose the wrong side of the goal. After the good first half hour of the match another big chance occurred for PSV. Striker Luuk de Jong had a great opportunity to crack the match with a goal, however his header missed the goal. The greatest moment of the first half was the cheeky lob of World Cup star Memphis Depay which could barely be ticked over by the goalie.

After 59’ minutes of gameplay it was Adam Maher who opened the score by a deflected shot after a short corner from Depay. It was his first goal for PSV in 2014. It was a great relieve and the importance of this goal is great. The team lead by Cocu could play at a slower pace to spare energy for the biggest game of this season on Sunday against four-time Eredivisie champions Ajax. However, an enormous mistake from PSV defender Bruma lead Shakthyor to a chance to play even, but they missed at open goal. It stayed 1-0 for PSV and the return is still left to be played.

TEAMS

PSV: Pasveer, Brenet, Bruma, Rekik, Tamata, Wijnaldum, Hiljemark (Hendrix 51), Maher (Ritzmaier 88), Locadia (Narsingh 63), De Jong, Depay.

SUBS NOT USED: Zoet, Willems, Jozefzoon, Vloet.

GOALS: Maher 59.

BOOKINGS: None.

SHAKHTYOR: Kotenko, Yamushkevich, Kashevski, Kuzianok, Galyuza (Leonchik 88), Matveychik, Stargorodsky, Yurevich, Guruli (Kovalev 89), Yanush (Osipenko 85), Rios.

SUBS NOT USED: Tsevan, VasilevskI.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Kuzmainok 66, Stargorodsky 70, Kashevski 73.

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