A goal in stoppage time for FC Twente denied us of a five week winning streak losing -2.0 units overall over round 6 decreasing the season total to +11.73 units. Due to the Champions League and Europe League obligations a busy week for the involved teams, so let's take a look at the games in Round 7.

Willem II – FC Groningen, 18 September 2009 20:45 CET

Willem II suffered their fifth defeat in a row dropping to the seventeenth place in the ranking collecting only three points in the league so far. Last weekend the team lost 2-3 at home to Feyenoord despite grabbing the lead very early in the game thanks to a goal from Boutahar (mid). However, two goals from Feyenoord turned the game around in the first half but the hosts managed to level the score with Biemans (def) finding the net after half an hour of play. In the second half Feyenoord grew stronger, creating the better chances and the visitors grabbed the lead once again halfway the second half with Willem II not able to fight themselves back in the game.

FC Groningen grabbed their first win of the season last Sunday winning 0-1 on the road to SC Heerenveen thanks to a goal from Nordstrand (att) in the second half. The visitors knew a good start taking the initiative of the game in the first fifteen minutes but slowly SC Heerenveen took over the control of the game. No real big chances were created on either side and it took until the second half for the game to open up. Just when SC Heerenveen started pressing for the opening goal it were the visitors taking the lead with Nordstrand (att) scoring his first goal for FC Groningen in his debut game. The hosts got close in leveling the score twice but good work from Luciano (gk) and Granqvist (def) ensured FC Groningen of the full amount of points, grabbing their first win in Heerenveen since 1997.

A tricky game with the number 17 playing the 14 of the ranking and to be frank….both teams have their problems at the moment. The odds are in the advantage of the away side, most likely due to their win over SC Heerenveen last week while Willem II seems to have lost track a little losing their fifth game in a row. Like in the game between Willem II and Heracles Almelo a few weeks back all outcomes seem possible, so therefore a not bet for me.

NO BET

Heracles Almelo – Sparta Rotterdam, 19 September 2009 18:45 CET

Heracles Almelo suffered a 1-0 defeat on the road to VVV Venlo last weekend dropping to the tenth place in the ranking after losing their second game in a row. VVV Venlo opened the score in the first ten minutes of the first half and apart from a poor effort from Everton (att), Heracles Almelo did not create any chances in the first half. The second half showed a similar scenario with Heracles Almelo trying to put some pressure on the hosts but with VVV Venlo not giving way the visitors returned home empty handed.

Sparta Rotterdam booked a 1-0 win over RKC Waalwijk last Sunday thanks to a goal from Poepon (att) thirteen minutes into the first half. The game between the bottom dweller of the Eredivisie and Sparta was not too entertaining with both teams creating only one possibility in the first half with Slijngard (def) being given the opportunity to double the lead for the hosts shortly before halftime. In the second half –which was as poor in quality as the first one- Sparta remained slightly the better team with chances for Poepon (att) and Dissels (att) but neither the hosts nor the visitors managed to find the net leading to Sparta booking their second win of the season.

With both teams not making the best of impression and the form of Sparta being slightly better over the last few weeks, again a no bet game.

NO BET

Vitesse – RKC Waalwijk, 19 September 2009 19:45 CET

Vitesse dropped two points in the final five minutes against NEC last Sunday by giving away a 2-0 lead. In a slow first half with very little chances and creativity Vitesse opened the score just before halftime with Kolk (att) curling the ball in the far corner of the goal. In the second half both teams started slightly more eager but very sloppy resulting in an unattractive second half in which the hosts doubled their lead ten minutes from time thanks to a goal from Claudemir (mid). Vitesse seemed to have the three points in the bag, but NEC managed to pull one goal back three minutes from time. In the second minute of the stoppage time an own goal from Van Diermen (def) left Vitesse with a hangover and goalkeeper Velthuizen (gk) with some exploding veins on his forehead….

RKC Waalwijk suffered their sixth defeat in a row, once again not managing to score with the team only scoring two goals so far in six games. In the game against Sparta Rotterdam the visitors did not manage to create anything in the first half apart from two possibilities on a chance and playing without much confidence, especially after falling behind early in the game. In the second half it were once again the hosts with the better chances but in the final five minutes of the game RKC Waalwijk started putting some pressure on the goal. However, with no positive result RKC Waalwijk remains at the bottom of the table with zero points from six games, conceding sixteen goals and having scored only twice.

Vitesse played a decent game against NEC last week and I am wondering what the odds on the home side would be in this phase of the competition playing against Sparta Rotterdam or Heracles Almelo. True, RKC Waalwijk is one of the worst teams in the Eredivisie but Vitesse hasn't made much of an impression on me either so far with only one positive results so far. Odds for the home win can be found around $1.40-1.45 but I will be opposing them this game and bet on RKC Waalwijk to grab their first point of the season.

RKC Waalwijk double chance $3.00 (2/10) (Betfair)

Roda JC – NAC Breda, 19 September 2009 19:45 CET

Roda JC picked up their third defeat of the season losing 3-0 on the road to PSV last Saturday and dropping to the fifteenth place in the ranking. PSV opened the score early in the first half and this seemed exactly the start the hosts hoped for with PSV failing to make the play in the first half and leaning back on their lead. However, Roda JC failed to take advantage with the team having difficulties to create chances. In the second half PSV doubled the lead and in the final minute of the game PSV determined the score on 3-0.

NAC Breda knew a complete off-day last Sunday losing 6-0 on the road to Ajax playing an abysmal game. The hosts opened the score early in the first half and the defense of NAC Breda was completely overrun by the eager Ajax strikers. Twenty minutes into the first half NAC Breda got 2-0 down and poor defending and a huge blunder from Gorter (mid) allowed Ajax to cruise to a 4-0 lead at halftime. In the second half things got worse for NAC Breda when Ten Rouwelaer (gk) tried to work away the ball way outside his penalty area allowing Ajax to score an easy goal in front of an empty goal. With Ajax determining the final score on 6-0 halfway the second half, the visitors were lucky that the sharpness edged away a little bit and Penders (def) even more lucky not to receive a red card in the dying minutes of the game after a charge on Pantelic (att) in the penalty area.

After the 6-0 trashing on the road to Ajax last week NAC Breda suffered a sensitive blow. With both teams needing to get back on track I can see an offensive game here and my bet will be for both teams to find the net.

Both teams to score $1.67 (3/10) (Bet365)

AZ – NEC, 19 September 2009 20:45 CET

AZ suffered a 2-1 defeat on the road to ADO Den Haag last Saturday with the team dropping to the fifth place in the ranking and knowing a poor general repetition for their Champions League game against Olympiakos on Wednesday. ADO Den Haag opened the score four minutes into the first half after poor defending from Poulsen (def). AZ failed to take over the initiative in the game in the first half and the team clearly missed the attacking creativity of El Hamdaoui (att) who remained sidelined with an injury. Early in the second half ADO Den Haag doubled their lead and it took AZ until four minutes from time to pull a goal back thanks to a beautiful goal from Lens (att). AZ pressed for the equalizer and was given two good chances on scoring the liberating goal, but the team did not succeed in putting the ball in the back of the net.

How they did it may be the question of the weekend, but NEC managed to erase a two-goal disadvantage in the final three minutes of the game drawing 2-2 against rivals Vitesse on Sunday. In a poor first half it was Vitesse opening the score just before halftime. With both teams making a lot of mistakes in the second half it were once again the hosts finding the net ten minutes from time to double their lead. The victory seemed in the bag for Vitesse but three minutes from time Zomer (def) pulled one goal back for NEC after poor defending from the hosts. Three minutes into stoppage time an own goal from Van Diermen (def) brought NEC alongside Vitesse with NEC grabbing a point and climbing to the twelfth place in the ranking.

AZ suffered a 0-1 defeat on the road to Olympiakos last Wednesday in the Champions League where the visitors deserved at least a point. NEC will be handicapped by the injury of Schöne (att) who will remain sidelined for six months leaving NEC with not much creativity up front. AZ should be able to bounce back with an easy win and I will be pairing them in a double with Ajax this week

AZ home win in a double with Ajax $2.14 (6/10)  (Blue Square)

ADO Den Haag – FC Utrecht, 20 September 2009 12:30 CET

Once again ADO Den Haag succeeded in beating AZ after their 3-0 win last season, albeit with a one-goal difference this year. The hosts grabbed the lead after four minutes in the first half after a stormy start with Verhoek (att) netting the ball behind the AZ goalkeeper much to the delight of team manager Adelaar. The visitors failed to impress in the first half, maybe having their minds on the Champions League game on Wednesday, and early in the second half ADO Den Haag leveled the score thanks to a goal from Immers (att). Four minutes from time AZ managed to pull one goal back but his was not enough to prevent ADO Den Haag from winning their second consecutive home game against AZ to climb to the seventh place in the ranking.

FC Utrecht suffered their first defeat of the season last Saturday on the road to FC Twente. The visitors knew a good start with Van Wolfswinkel (att) opening the score early in the first half, but FC Utrecht decided to defend their lead in the remainder of the first half. FC Twente grew stronger and a mistake from Vorm (gk) allowed N'Kufo (att) to head home the equalizer for the hosts four minutes from halftime. In the second half FC Twente grabbed the lead but it was once again Van Wolfswinkel (att) finding the net with his second goal of the evening to level the score. With both teams creating some small chances it was FC Twente with the most luck, scoring the winning goal in the stoppage time of the second half with FC Utrecht dropping to the sixth place in the ranking.

After their win over AZ in the last round ADO Den Haag is flying high and team manager Adelaar announced to have found the way to beat more top teams at home. With FC Utrecht visiting this is their chance to prove it, but with odds on FC Utrecht above $3.00 I just can't resist in pairing up with the away side here with a cover on the draw.

FC Utrecht to win $3.35 (3/10) (Betfair)

ADO Den Haag and FC Utrecht to draw $3.40 (2/10) (Stan James)

Feyenoord – PSV, 20 September 2009 14:30 CET

Feyenoord booked 2-3 away win over Willem II last Sunday climbing to the second place in the ranking. Willem II opened the score early in the first half but a quick goal equalizer from Tomasson (att) brought the visitors back in the game. Ten minutes later Tomasson (att) once again managed to escape from the attention of his defender to fire Feyenoord into the lead. After half an hour of play Willem II managed to pull one goal back to level the score again with both teams looking for the winning goal in the second half. Halfway the second half a free kick from De Guzman (mid) allowed Feyenoord to take the lead again and with Willem II not able to score a third goal, Feyenoord grabbed the full amount of points.

PSV climbed to the top of the ranking last weekend thanks to a 3-0 home win over Roda JC. The hosts opened the score after six minutes in the first half thanks to a goal from Dzsudzsak (mid) with the midfielder scoring his fourth goal of the season. The hosts did not force their way to a second goal too hard and were helped by the lack of creativity in the team of the visitors. Early in the second half PSV doubled their lead with Manolev (def) finding the net and with Roda JC unable to pull a goal back it was Bakkal (mid) determining the final score on 3-0 in the final minute of the game.

The biggest game of the weekend between the number one and two of the ranking and the bookmakers have trouble in picking a favorite for this game. Traditionally PSV has a little trouble away to Feyenoord and I feel the draw will suit both teams best. Defensively Feyenoord seems to have the advantage here conceding only three goals in their last six games while PSV shipped eight. Taking into account PSV traveled to Prague for the Europe League on Thursday, the advantage shifts a little to the home side so two picks on this game to cover the home win.

Feyenoord to win $2.98 (2/10) (Betfair)

Feyenoord and PSV to draw $3.45 (3/10) (Betfair)

SC Heerenveen – FC Twente, 20 September 2009 14:30 CET

SC Heerenveen once again did not manage to get away from the relegation zone losing 0-1 at home to archrival FC Groningen last Saturday. The team knew a poor start of the match but gained control of the game halfway the first half without creating any decent chances. In the second half the hosts seemed on the good way to open the score but it was FC Groningen finding the net first a little bit against the odds. In the remainder of the second half SC Heerenveen Sibon (att) got close in leveling the score but his effort was cleared from the goal line. In the final minute of the match Dingsdag (def) was sent off after picking up his second yellow card and the defender will automatically be suspended for the game against FC Twente on Sunday.

FC Twente grabbed a 3-2 home win over FC Utrecht last Saturday remaining their undefeated status in the Eredivisie and climbing towards the top of the table. FC Utrecht grabbed the lead in the first half helped by a blunder from Perez (att) who gave the ball away to FC Utrecht striker Van Wolfswinkel just outside the penalty area. Just before halftime N'Kufo (att) headed the hosts back into the game and in the second half Kuiper (def) fired FC Twente into the lead. However, the same Kuiper (def) allowed FC Utrecht to level the score but things seemed to end well for FC Twente after being awarded a penalty in the final minute of the game. However, Perez (att) failed from eleven meters but in the stoppage time Ruiz (att) ensured FC Twente of three points scoring his third goal of the season.

FC Twente grabbed a surprising 1-2 win on the road to Fenerbahce (Tur) in the Europe League last Thursday and with SC Heerenveen losing 2-3 at home to Sporting Lisbon (Por), the momentum is certainly with the away side here. However, FC Twente did not impress much in the games against RKC Waalwijk and FC Utrecht and with the team traveling on Friday I will leave this one alone.

NO BET

VVV Venlo – Ajax, 20 September 2009 14:30 CET

VVV Venlo grabbed their first win in the Eredivisie this season after drawing their previous five games in a row. In the game against fellow possible relegation candidate Heracles Almelo, it was Calabro (att) opening the score eight minutes into the first half firing home the rebound from a free kick of Honda (mid). A few minutes later the midfielder was given a good chance to double the lead, but this proved to be the only chance for either team in a poor first half. In the second half Heracles Almelo tried to put some pressure forward but like in the first half, the match mainly took part on the midfield. VVV Venlo successfully defended their lead without creating any more chances and the team climbed to the ninth place in the ranking preserving their unbeaten status.

Ajax knew a good Sunday trashing NAC Breda 6-0 at home in a game that could have produced more than ten goals if the hosts kept their eagerness in the second half. Ajax grabbed the lead early in the first half thanks to a goal from Cvitanich (att), who was given the advantage over new signing Pantelic (att). Ajax remained by far the most threatening team on the field and translated this in doubling the lead with Vertonghen (def) drilling home a free kick. Two goals before halftime from Suarez (att) and Cvitanich (att) ensured Ajax of a comfortable lead. In the second Ajax started where they left off with Kennedy (att) scoring the fifth goal for Ajax after five minutes and Cvitanich (att) completed his hat trick halfway the second half determining the final score on 6-0. 

Ajax drew their Europe League game against FC Timisoara (Rom) 0-0 in Amsterdam last Thursday although having by far the best of the play and creating a dozen of chances. VVV Venlo remains without defeat in the Eredivisie but against Ajax this streak might end despite the fact Honda (mid) or Calabro (att) may be able to find the net. Odds can be found around $1.50 and I will be taking them in a double with AZ at a very nice $2.14.

Ajax away win in a double with AZ  $2.14 (6/10)  (Blue Square)