The third round of the Eredivisie with only two teams with the maximum amount of points: Ajax and FC Utrecht scoring six points from two games. Another profitable round with a net profit of +3.53 points bringing the season total to +10.13 units. In this round a lot of interesting games with a handful of bets, but also some games not to be touched. Let's take a closer look…..

Sparta Rotterdam – Willem II, 15 August 2009 18:45 CET

Sparta suffered their second consecutive 2-0 defeat last Friday not being able to impress in their game on the road to AZ. The hosts opened the score early on in the game and although AZ played far from great, Sparta omitted to score the equalizer despite the poor defending of AZ numerous times. Like in the game against FC Twente Duplan (att) was given some good chances to score and although the striker is able to position himself into promising situations, his finishing touch certainly needs some work. In both games this season Sparta did not manage to impress and the game against Willem II on Saturday will be an important one given the fact that both teams are mentioned as possible basement dwellers at the end of the season. Sparta most likely will miss three regulars for the game against Willem II with Slot (mid), Godee (att) and Knol (def) all picking up injuries.

Willem II suffered a 1-0 defeat on the road to FC Utrecht on Sunday in a game that was dominated by the home side. After winning their first game at home to Vitesse 3-1, despite getting down to ten men in the second half, we already suspected that the win was more based on the poor form of Vitesse rather than the impressive play of the home side. In the game against FC Utrecht this assumption was underlined with Willem II hardly managing to create any chances against a solid FC Utrecht. The hosts opened the score five minutes from halftime after wasting a couple of chances of doing so before and in the second half it seemed the hosts were satisfied with their one-goal lead, having not much to fear from Willem II. The team will travel to Rotterdam on Saturday to meet Sparta and Willem II will most likely be without Demouge (att), Akgun (mid) and Schenkel (def). Freire (mid) is confirmed to be out after picking up a hamstring injury in the game against FC Utrecht and the midfielder will remain sidelined for two months. Gregoire (mid) will return from suspension after missing the game against FC Utrecht last week.

NO BET

ADO Den Haag – FC Twente, 15 August 2009 19:45 CET

ADO Den Haag grabbed a 2-2 draw on the road to VVV Venlo last Sunday but more importantly lost two important players with a red card in the second half. ADO Den Haag grabbed a 0-2 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Verhoek (att) and Van den Bergh (mid) but VVV Venlo managed to pull one goal back eight minutes from halftime. In the second half Soltani (att) received his second yellow card and with the hosts leveling the score fifteen minutes from time, the frustration on the side of the visitors was clearly visible resulting in a second red card and a massive battle on the field between the players of VVV Venlo and ADO Den Haag. With ADO Den Haag already missing Knopper (mid) and Rankovic (mid) on the midfield as well as three goalkeepers, the red cards for Van den Bergh (mid) and Soltani (att) couldn't have come at a worse moment leaving team manager Atteveld with limited options on Sunday.

FC Twente booked a 1-1 draw at home to PSV where the hosts were given a couple of excellent chances to change the score line to their advantage. FC Twente opened strongly and a falsely judged high ball into the penalty area allowed Douglas (def) to net the opening goal behind the struggling PSV goalkeeper. Six minutes later the visitors leveled the score in a situation in which Boschker (gk) didn't look too good. FC Twente continued looking for a goal with Douglas (def), N'Kufo (att) and Janssen (mid) being given some excellent opportunities. In the second half PSV seemed to grow a little stronger creating two huge chances to grab the lead, but both teams were unable to net the winning goal. FC Twente will travel to ADO Den Haag on Saturday looking to claim three points and the team will have a fully fit selection apart from new signing De Jong (att) who will remain sidelined with an ankle injury.

On paper this game looks more balanced than the odds suggest, but taking into account the many important missings on the side of ADO Den Haag the advantage shifts quickly to the away side. FC Twente played solid games against Sparta (0-2), Sporting Lisbon (1-1) and PSV (1-1) and I will be backing them with medium stakes at odds around $1.60.  Take into account that FC Twente won four from their last six games in Den Haag and drew the other two and this bet seems definitely worth taking. Theo Janssen (mid) has come close in scoring multiple times and fires easily on goal from the second line. Therefore taking him to find the net might pay off and is worth backing with small stakes, even better to take him at higher odds to score from outside the box.

FC Twente to win $1.57 (6/10) (General)
Theo Janssen to score anytime $3.05 (1/10) (Unibet)

RKC Waalwijk – AZ Alkmaar, 15 August 2009 19:45 CET

RKC Waalwijk remains without points so far in the Eredivisie after picking up a 4-1 defeat on the road to Ajax last Saturday. The team seemed to be able to cause a surprise until twenty minutes from the final whistle when Gudde (def) was sent off by the referee with his second yellow card. At that moment both teams had found the net once with De Ceulaer (att) leveling the score for RKC Waalwijk thirty minutes into the first half after the hosts had taken the lead twenty minutes earlier. However, three goals from Suarez (att) in the final twenty minutes of the game denied RKC Waalwijk from picking up a point with the team again having a tough game ahead with the ruling champions AZ visiting on Saturday. RKC Waalwijk will face AZ Alkmaar without the suspended Gudde (def) while De Ceulaer (att) and Jongsma (mid) are also ruled out picking up injuries in the game against Ajax last Saturday.

AZ grabbed their first win of the season last Friday beating Sparta Rotterdam 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Dembele (att) and El Hamdaoui (att). The hosts played far from great but found almost no resistance from a poor playing Sparta that created some decent chances in the first half but gave up fighting after the 2-0 from El Hamdaoui (att). The hosts opened the score six minutes into the first half with Dembele (att) netting the ball behind the Sparta goalkeeper but were very lucky no to concede the equalizer after poor defending and with Sparta striker Duplan (att) being set free alone in front of the goalkeeper. In the second half El Hamdaoui (att) doubled the lead for the hosts with his second goal of the season and although some fresh players were brought onto the pitch by team manager Koeman halfway the second half, AZ once again did not manage to convince. For the game against RKC Waalwijk on Saturday AZ will be without the suspended Pelle (att) and Swerts (def) while El Hamdaoui (att) will be doubtful picking up a knee injury.

Normally speaking this game is expected to be one-way traffic with AZ having far too much quality to slip up in Waalwijk. Odds are low…around $1.45 for the away win and given the fact that AZ lost their first away game and did not convince me in their game against Sparta I will keep away at these odds at this moment especially with the possible absence of El Hamdaoui (att).

NO BET

SC Heerenveen – Vitesse, 15 August 2009 20:45 CET

Once again SC Heerenveen did not manage to convince last Friday losing 4-1 on the road to NEC after the disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Roda JC. After a good season last year the team totally seems to have lost track scoring only twice in three games (including the 5-1 defeat against AZ in the Dutch Super Cup) with the creativity in the team looking totally gone. SC Heerenveen was simply outplayed against NEC and the hosts were able to combine freely without getting interrupted much by the visitors. It took until five minutes from time for Papadopoulos (att) to score the first goal for SC Heerenveen in the Eredivisie this season and the team will host Vitesse on Saturday. SC Heerenveen will still have a few missings with goalkeepers Vandenbussche (gk) and Steppe (gk) most likely remaining sidelined. Smarason (att) is also not expected to be fit in time and Roorda (mid) will sit the game out with a long-term injury. Svec (def) will be welcomed back in the selection after missing the game against NEC last Friday.

Vitesse grabbed their first point in the Eredivisie last Sunday drawing 0-0 at home to Feyenoord. The hosts were given too little by this result with Vitesse dominating the first half and the biggest part of the second half. In the first half Kolk (att), Nilsson (att) and Claudemir (mid) were all given excellent chances to open the score but all failed to put the ball in the back of the net with Kolk (att) hitting the post from six yards. In the second half it was again Vitesse with the best of the play and once again the hosts were given two good chances on the opening goal. Halfway the second half Feyenoord grew a little stronger after making some changes in the team, but both teams did not manage to find a goal in the remainder of the second half. For the game against SC Heerenveen on Saturday Vitesse will have a fully fit selection apart from the substitute goalkeepers Graafland (gk) and Van der Sman (gk).

Vitesse played a more than decent game against Feyenoord and were unlucky not to score. With the scoring power of SC Heerenveen being way below par, the odds for the game are not quite what could be expected with SC Heerenveen being made the clear favorites to win the game. I will go against the flow in this one and side with Vitesse to grab at least a point in Heerenveen on Saturday.

Vitesse not to lose $2.20 (4/10) (Betfair)

PSV – Ajax, 16 August 2009 12:30 CET

The first "Classic" in the season will be between PSV and Ajax with four points separating the two teams in the ranking after two games. PSV booked a disappointing 3-3 draw at home to VVV Venlo in the first round and were lucky to pick up a point in Twente against the local FC last Sunday. The team has not yet managed to convince conceding four goals in two games and with Ajax visiting on Sunday, team manager Rutten will have to find a way to prevent the visitors from scoring. PSV played an average game against FC Twente with Dzsudzsak (mid) leveling the score halfway the first half after falling one goal behind six minutes earlier. It were the hosts with the better chances throughout the game but fifteen minutes from time PSV could have grabbed the full win with Koevermans (att) being set free alone in front of the FC Twente goalkeeper. For the game against Ajax PSV is expected to welcome back Rodriguez (def) in the defense while Engelaar (mid) will remain sidelined with a knee injury.

Ajax knew a good start of the season winning their first two games against FC Groningen (0-2) and RKC Waalwijk (4-1) and topping the ranking with a four point lead over PSV. In the game against RKC Waalwijk the team opened the score after ten minutes in the first half with Van der Wiel (def) scoring his first goal of the season. After half an hour of play the visitors leveled the score with Ajax seemingly taking the game too lightly and it took until twenty minutes from time to grab the lead again. Three goals from Suarez (att) within twenty ensured Ajax of the three points and Suarez (att) of his first hattrick of the season. For the game against PSV Verhoeven (gk) and Gabri (mid) will remain sidelined and team manager Jol will have the disposal over his strongest eleven players on Sunday.

Looking at the form both teams are in Ajax has to be given the advantage in this one. However, it must be said that Ajax has not been really tested playing against a very poor FC Groningen (0-2) and a home game against RKC Waalwijk (3-1). PSV had a trickier opponent in FC Twente (1-1) last week but since the games between PSV and Ajax are stand-alone games and the fact it's still very early in the season, not much value can be deducted from the previous two playing rounds. With all three results evenly possible a bet on Ajax would be the value option, but this early in the season it might be better to just sit this one out and to enjoy the (hopefully good) game.

NO BET

FC Utrecht – VVV Venlo, 16 August 2009 14:30 CET

FC Utrecht booked their second win on Sunday beating Willem II 1- 0 at home. Other than the score line would suggest the victory was a relatively easy one with the hosts being in control the biggest part of the game preventing Willem II from getting real dangerous. The hosts opened the score six minutes from halftime where FC Utrecht should have scored at least two times before with Mulenga (att) being a real threat with corner kicks and high balls into the penalty area. In the second half FC Utrecht gave away the initiative of the game a little to Willem II but the visitors did not manage to put any pressure on FC Utrecht who secured an easy win to climb to the second place in the ranking. FC Utrecht will host VVV Venlo on Sunday and the team will most likely be without Schut (def), Keller (def) and Silberbauer (mid).

VVV Venlo booked a 2-2 draw against ADO Den Haag last Sunday in a game filled with yellow and red cards. ADO Den Haag grabbed a 0-2 lead halfway the second half but a goal from Honda (mid) brought the hosts back in the game. In the second half the game exploded after the red card of Soltani (ADO) and a questionable equalizer from Honda (mid) ten minutes later. The midfielder headed the ball onto the goal but it remained unclear whether the ball passed the goal line or not, leading to a lot of frustrations at the side of the visitors. After the 2-2 draw at home to ADO Den Haag and 3-3 draw on the road to PSV, VVV Venlo is on the tenth place in the ranking and the team will be traveling to FC Utrecht on Sunday. Timisela (def) will be doubtful after picking up a leg injury but apart from the defender VVV Venlo will be able to line-up their strongest selection.

Taking a look at the quality of both teams we can see that FC Utrecht has improved much over the summer with the signing of Mertens (att), Van Wolfswinkel (att) and Mulenga (att). With the greatest of ease FC Utrecht creates chances and if these chances can be translated into goals with a little more accuracy the hosts should be able to win this game. VVV Venlo surprised with the 3-3 against PSV two weeks ago, but a team that manages to neutralize Honda (mid) on the midfield should be able to book a comfortable win. However, the odds seem about right and therefore I will take my chances on the goal scorer market taking Mulenga (att) and Honda (mid) to find the net at tasty odds. Mulenga (att) was given a few free headers on goal in the game against Willem II and it could be called a small miracle for the new signing not to find the net. In case VVV Venlo manages to score against FC Utrecht, Honda (mid) will be the most likely candidate to do so and after banging in three goals in his last two games.

 
Mulenga to score anytime $3.00 (2/10) (Unibet)
Honda to score anytime $3.75 (1/10) (Unibet)

Heracles Almelo – Feyenoord, 16 August 2009 14:30 CET

Heracles Almelo remains unbeaten in the league so far after a goalless draw in Breda last Sunday in front of an empty stadium. Both NAC Breda and Heracles Almelo clearly had some trouble playing without any public and apart from a good chance for Dost (att) halfway the second half, the visitors did not manage to become really dangerous. After booking a 3-2 win over AZ in the first playing round the team seems full of confidence for the clash with Feyenoord on Sunday and for team manager Verbeek it will be a reunion with the club he was sacked by last Christmas. Heracles will have a fully fit selection for the game against Feyenoord apart from Maertens (def) and the long-term injured Steur (att).

Feyenoord picked up (or better…saved) a point in Arnhem last Sunday drawing 0-0 against Vitesse. Feyenoord had not much to tell in the first half and the visitors were lucky not to fall behind early in the game with the hosts creating a handful of chances throughout the first half. In the second half it was once again Vitesse taking the initiative leading to the substitution of Makaay (att) and De Guzman (mid). For Makaay (att) this was the second game in a row in which the striker was substituted within the hour and although it's been denied, there are some rumors about a possible struggle between team manager Been and the Feyenoord striker. With Makaay (att) being one of the best paid players in the selection, the management of Feyenoord would like to see him go to relieve them of the salary requirements. For the game against Heracles Almelo the team is expected to welcome back Van Bronckhorst (def) while Wijnaldum (mid) and Darley (gk) will remain sidelined.

After beating AZ 3-2 two weeks ago Heracles Almelo looks ready to repeat this trick against Feyenoord on Sunday. The team plays on an artificial pitch which makes it a little more of a challenge for visiting teams to grab a result and with the poor form of Feyenoord, the advantage lies with the home side. However, the odds seem about right for this game and since I can find no other angle, another 'no bet' game in this playing round.

NO BET

Roda JC – NEC, 16 August 2009 14:30 CET

Two points from two games for Roda JC after their 1-1 home draw against FC Groningen last weekend. The hosts opened the score thanks to a goal from Hadouir (att) nineteen minutes into the first half but after half an hour of play it were the visitors leveling the score. With FC Groningen getting down to ten men shortly after halftime Roda JC failed in putting immediate pressure on the visitors and it took until fifteen minutes from time for the hosts to create some danger in front of the goal. Roda JC will miss a few substitute players for the game against NEC on Sunday with Tyton (gk), Gommans (att) and Vandamme (att) remaining sidelined and the team will be looking to pick up their first three points of the season.

NEC booked a 4-1 win over SC Heerenveen last Friday in a game the hosts dominated from the first minute on. An early goal from Vleminckx (att) allowed the hosts to take a quick lead and in the second half NEC cruised to a four-goal margin before SC Heerenveen managed to pull one goal back five minutes from time. After losing 2-0 on the road to Feyenoord in the first round NEC climbed to the eight place in the ranking and the team will travel to Roda JC on Sunday. Defenders Sibum (def) and Otten (def) are expected to remain sidelined while Saidi (att) has not returned from his disciplinary ban. New signing Vleminckx (att) seems the man to follow with the Belgian striker scoring easily and working on his way to become the public favorite.

It's hard to tell the form of both teams after two games with Roda JC looking a little more solid than last year and NEC making up for the poor start on the road to Feyenoord against SC Heerenveen. The odds for the game are about right and although I expect NEC not to lose on the road to Roda JC this weekend, my money won't be riding on this game.

NO BET

FC Groningen – NAC Breda, 16 August 2009 16:30 CET

FC Groningen grabbed a 1-1 draw on the road to Roda JC last Saturday thanks to a goal from Lovre (mid) halfway the first half. The hosts opened the score after sixteen minutes in the first half but a perfect strike from the Groningen midfielder allowed the visitors back in the game. All attacking intentions from FC Groningen in the second half could be thrown overboard six minutes after halftime with Holla (mid) picking up a red card meaning automatically missing the game against NAC Breda on Sunday and FC Groningen having to continue with ten men. The visitors managed to defend the draw despite being put under pressure in the final ten minutes of the game, with Van Loo (gk) performing a few excellent saves. For the game against NAC Breda on Sunday the team will miss Holla (mid) due to a two-game suspension, first goalkeeper Luciano (gk) with a knee injury, midfielder Andersson (mid) with a knee injury and the presence of Garcia (att) will be doubtful with the striker picking up a knee injury.

NAC Breda booked a goalless draw at home to Heracles Almelo on Sunday in front of an empty stadium due to a penalty from the KNVB after a firework incident last season. Nobody was quite happy with the situation and both Heracles Almelo and NAC Breda seemed to be influenced heavily by the absence of the crowd, with only a handful of chances being created throughout the ninety minutes. In the first half the hosts got close in opening the score twice thanks to efforts from Amoah (att) and Loran (def) and in the second half both teams could have picked up three points with Dost (att) missing alone in front of Ten Rouwelaer (gk) and Lurling (att) not managing to curl the ball over the fingertips of the Heracles goalkeeper. NAC will be without team captain Penders (def) on Sunday and Van der Leegte (mid) is also expected to miss the game in Groningen.

FC Groningen has not been the team from last season yet although playing a good first half against Roda JC last Saturday. The team has not been able to cope with the departure of Berg (att) and the team may also lose defender  Granqvist (def) to AZ somewhere during the next two weeks. NAC Breda has been playing solid over the last few weeks, having played more games thanks to their European campaign and with the confidence in the team being quite high at the moment I can see them picking up at least a point in Groningen, especially considering the fact that NAC Breda holds one of the best away records in the league over the past two years.

NAC Breda not to lose $2.00 (4/10) (Betfair)