The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsDe Graafschap v PEC Zwolle – Date – 15/08/15 – Venue – De Vijverberg – Kick-Off – 17.30
Newly promoted side De Graafschap suffered disappointment in their opening game against Heerenveen as they were beaten 3-1 away from home. A late goal from Vermeij wasn’t enough for De Graafschap and it was too late for them to form a comeback however a goal for Vermeij could really give him the boost for the season that he needs. PEC Zwolle play their first game on Wednesday night against SC Cambuur.
The Player to Watch is Vincent Vermeij who is an unbelievable young talent and at only 21-years-old, he has displayed great goalscoring ability. Since joining De Graafschap, he has scored 26 goals in 51 games – a strike rate of more than one goal in every two games. Vermeij was straight off the mark in his first game against Heerenveen and will be expected to score once again against PEC Zwolle.
My Prediction for this game is a 2-1 win for De Graafschap with Vermeij netting a brace.
Excelsior v AZ Alkmaar – Date – 15/08/15 – Venue – Stadion Woudestein – Kick-Off – 19.45
AZ started off the season badly against Ajax as they were demolished 3-0 in their own backyard. Excelsior are yet to play as they face N.E.C on Wednesday as it was initially postponed due to strikes. Excelsior are likely to be relegation battlers and will be eager to get points on the board early-on to boost their chances of survival. AZ however will be looking to challenge Ajax and PSV for the Eredivisie title however may have to settle for the Europa League again.
The Player to Watch is Markus Henriksen who last season scored 7 goals for AZ and will be looking to further improve as a footballer this season. Henriksen is AZ’s best player and will cause Excelsior huge problems if he is allowed to control the midfield. Henriksen pulls the strings in midfield for AZ and creates many chances for the strikers therefore making him a player to be stopped at all costs.
My Prediction for this game is a 1-0 AZ win.
SC Cambuur Leeuwarden v Feyenoord – Date – 16/08/15 – Venue – Cambuur Stadion – Kick-Off – 13.30
Feyenoord got off to a flying start in the Eredivisie with a 3-2 win over FC Utrecht on the opening day. The return of the prodigal son, Dirk Kuyt marked a crucial win in their hunt for the Eredivisie title. Kuyt’s late penalty made sure of a win for Feyenoord and a late goal for Utrecht wasn’t enough to get any points. Feyenoord will play SC Cambuur in their second game. Cambuur are yet to play having had their first game postponed until Wednesday night. Cambuur will take on PEC Zwolle in their first game which could lead to some fatigue as they are playing only 3 days before their game against Feyenoord.
The Player to Watch for Feyenoord once again is Dirk Kuyt, he isn’t the most threatening in terms of skill and speed but his work-rate is phenomenal and his work off-the-ball deserves more credit than it gets, especially his pressing upfield and tenacity to win the ball back. Kuyt as ever though is clinical infront of goal and when presented the opportunity, he isn’t afraid to shoot and make his chances count.
My Prediction is a 3-1 win for Feyenoord. I expect Kuyt to once again get on the scoresheet with Vilhena and El Ahmadi also contributing.
Heracles v N.E.C – Date – 16/08/15 – Venue – Polman Stadion – Kick-Off – 15.45
Two teams that will be battling to stay up. N.E.C are newboys on the block and Heracles struggled last season but managed to survive. Heracles first game ended in disappointment after being dismantled 3-1 by another newly promoted team, Roda JC, so as they face another newly promoted team.. questions will be raised as to whether they will bottle it yet again and lose having been leading 1-0 until they conceded three goals poorly. N.E.C will play their first game on Wednesday night against fellow relegation rivals Excelsior.
The player to watch for Heracles is Thomas Bruns in midfield who has 15 goals since joining. The central-midfielder will be keen to boost his goal tally against newboys N.E.C but they won’t be no pushovers – like Roda JC, they will be eager to get points on the board against fellow relegation candidates.
My prediction for this game is a 1-0 win for Heracles.
FC Utrecht v sc Heerenveen – Date – 16/08/15 – Venue – Stadion Galgenwaard – Kick-Off – 13.30
Heerenveen got off to a flying start on Tuesday night as they comfortably beat De Graafschap, 3-1. On the other hand, Utrecht were left disappointed having lost 3-2 on the opening day to Feyenoord. A late goal to make it 3-2 and make their chances of getting a point was not enough as they failed to score another goal. Utrecht have the chance however in this game to put points on the board as they have the homefield advantage. And although Heerenveen are the favourites, Utrecht will be keen to set the record straight and get their first win of the season.
The Player to Watch in this game is Heerenveen’s Sam Larsson who enjoyed a great debut season for the Dutch club last year. He scored eight goals in eighteen games as a winger and will be keen to further improve this season. The 22-year-old Swedish prodigy could cause all sorts of problems for Utrecht if they fail to handle him properly.
My prediction however for this game is a 1-1 draw as I believe Utrecht will be eager to make sure they get points on the board after losing against Feyenoord at the weekend.
