“This probably is the most important week of the season,” Ajax-coach Martin Jol said on Friday. The Amsterdam squad will meet league leaders PSV at home on Saturday.
“This probably is the most important week of the season,” Ajax-coach Martin Jol said at the pre-match press conference before the fixture against PSV on Friday. After two consecutive league losses against ADO Den Haag en AZ respectively the match against number one ranked PSV seems to be Ajax’ last chance to keep up title hopes this season.
After their well-deserved 2-0 home win against Ajax last week AZ face another top-three club: FC Twente. The ‘Tukkers’ lost the league lead last week, when they got beaten 2-1 after being 1-0 up until the 80th minute at NAC Breda. It was the first defeat of the title holders this season.
The Eredivisie Match between Excelsior and VVV-Veno features a match-up between the brothers Cees and Patrick Pauwe. Excelsior’s goalkeeper Cees and VVV captain Patrick faced each other three times before in the Eredivisie, with Cees playing at FC Twente and Patrick for Feyenoord. Patrick won twice and Cees once.
Saturday’s match is an important one in the relegation battle. VVV are second from bottom trailing Excelsior, who are third from bottom, only two points. The historic Eredivisie record between both clubs is equal: three match matches played, one win for both clubs and one draw with a total goal difference of 3-3.
Excelsior come from a 4-2 loss against top-ranked PSV last week and VVV were blown away by Vitesse 5-1. The home team are in desperate need of a win after losing eight of their last nine matches.
Vitesse will play its First game with Albert Ferrer as trainer on Saturday. The Spanish coach is going to change a lot in Arnhem: “We’ll play a different system, not only in the matches, but also in our training sessions.”
Ferrer was happy with the 5-1 win against VVV-Venlo last week, but he insisted that there still is a lot to improve. “It’s important that the players realize that as well and they all agreed.”
The new style of play will probably cost Nemanja Matic and Dejan Stevanovic their spot in the starting lineup. Laryea Kingston will is due to make his debut as defensive midfielder and Genaro Snijders will probably play in an attacking role on the left wing.
Heracles will enter the match confidently after their 3-0 win versus FC Groningen last week, but Peter Bosz’ team is not performing well in away matches this season gaining 1 one point from 7 games. The coach will be on well-known soil this Saturday. Bosz started his playing career in Arhem and played 81 matches for Vitesse.
Both De Graafschap and Roda JC did not set a result last weekend because their matches were flushed out by the rain. De Graafschap played 56 minutes against Willem II (0-0) before the match was abandoned on Friday and Roda JC’s home match against FC Utrecht was postponed before it even started.
Roda should pay special attention to Rydell Poepon. The striker from De Graafschap hit the target against Roda 4 times in 6 Eredivisie matches and there’s no Eredivisie club against which he has a better striking record. This season he’s De Graafschap’s main target man with 5 goals from 13 matches.
De Graafschap are in need of points to avoid dropping down to the relegation zone and six ranked Roda may provide a good opportunity. The ‘Superboeren’ grabbed 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 home matches against the team from Kerkrade. The last time Roda won in Doetinchem 26 August 2000: 1-3.
After their well-deserved 2-0 home win against Ajax last week AZ face another top-three club: FC Twente. The ‘Tukkers’ lost the league lead last week, when they got beaten 2-1 after being 1-0 up until the 80th minute at NAC Breda. It was the first defeat of the title holders this season.
Twente will try to regroup AZ is looking for more. From a historic perspective the visitor’s will have a tough job. Their last away win in Enschede was on 10 December 2005 (3-1). Twente won all 4 matches since then.
AZ had many players on international duty this week. Sweden’s Rasmus Elm and the suspended Pontus Wernbloom drew 0-0 draw against Germany and the Argentina goalkeeper Sérgio Romero beat Brazil 1-0 in Qatar. Finland’s Niklas Moisander defeated San Marino 8-0 and Brett Holman lost 3-0 with Australia versus Egypt in Cairo. Stijn Schaars played three minutes as a substitute for the Netherlands in the 1-0 friendly home win against Turkey. Twente’s Theo Janssen played 45 minutes in that match, giving the Orange midfield a real boost as a substitute for Wesley Sneijder.
“This probably is the most important week of the season,” Ajax-coach Martin Jol said at the pre-match press conference before the fixture against PSV on Friday. After two consecutive league losses against ADO Den Haag en AZ respectively the match against number one ranked PSV seems to be Ajax’ last chance to keep up title hopes this season.
Two losses in a row is not very common in Amsterdam, but losing three consecutive league matches is something the youngest Ajax-fans will not even be able to remember. This happened in April 1999, when the club equaled the negative club record of four league matches in a row.
Avoiding their third consecutive league loss is going to be tough against the league leaders, with many players coming back from international duty. Especially for Luis Suarez this was a exhausting journey. The captain flew to Santiago for an international friendly against Chili, which he lost 2-0.
PSV has many international players as well, but the club was able to prepare quietly. Trainer Fred Rutten does not want to predict anything. “These are special matches. Obviously the pressure is on them, but pressure can give them unexpected powers.” Striker Jonathan Reis is back in the PSV squad after a two match suspension and defender Stanislav Manolev is back from an injury.
Willem II will again be looking for their First win of the season on Sunday. Last week their home match against De Graafschap was abandoned due to rain at 0-0 in the 56th minute. Sunday’s opponent sc Heerenveen drew 2-2 against Feyenoord last week.
Willem II’s last win in Heerenveen dates back to 13 December 2000 (1-0). Since that match they lost five times and drew four times in the Abe Lenstra Stadium. Last season the home team won 4-2.
Heerenveen-trainer Ron Jans is confident about the match against the bottom ranked ‘tricolores’ but he still thinks his own team has to improve a lot. “We are still too unstable, we’ll have to prove that we can perform steady on a high level. Willem II will be a good test. They want to stay in the League and they will fight for every inch of the pitch.”
“We’ll have to fight hard for our 14th sport on the ranking,” said Feyenoord-coach Mario Been. The former top club from Rotterdam start as the underdog against 4th ranked FC Groningen on Sunday.
FC Groningen-coach Pieter Huistra is confident, but cautious as well. “Feyenoord are very unstable this season, but they’re able to play a good passing game and in their latest matches they’ve scored as well.” Huistra does not have any injury troubles. “That’s luxury, there is always the tension between players in and out of the starting lineup.”
Historically the fixture between FC Groningen and Feyenoord in Groningen is equal. The match is played 31 times. Both clubs won 11 times and nine times it ended in a draw. Last season Feyenoord won 3-2 in the Euroborg Stadium.
NAC come from a 2-1 home win against title holders FC Twente last week, but the away match against ADO Den Haag is not going to be easy. ADO are doing well themselves this season, being ranked 7th with 22 points from 14 matches. The last time the club had a better record at this stage of the season was in the 1990/91 season, when they were ranked 4th.
ADO are particularly well at home this season, being undefeated in their last 5 matches and having won their last 3 at home. The last time NAC defeated ADO in Den Haag was in 2005.
NAC-trainer John Karelse is impressed with ADO this season. “They have a solid defense and string forwards. They really enjoy playing the game and that’s good for a team.”
FC Utrecht are ranked 9th and NEC 10th. Both clubs have 19 points and both clubs are aiming at a Europa League ticket so their encounter in Utrecht on Sunday is very important.
NEC are on a good streak, being undefeated and having won two of their last 5 matches. Utrecht lost their last two Eredivisie matches and are looking for the way up again.
For Frank Demouge the match against NEC is always special, being raised in Nijmegen. The Utrecht striker started his professional career at NEC, where he scored 15 goals in 81 league matches.
After their well-deserved 2-0 home win against Ajax last week AZ face another top-three club: FC Twente. The ‘Tukkers’ lost the league lead last week, when they got beaten 2-1 after being 1-0 up until the 80th minute at NAC Breda. It was the first defeat of the title holders this season.
The Eredivisie Match between Excelsior and VVV-Veno features a match-up between the brothers Cees and Patrick Pauwe. Excelsior’s goalkeeper Cees and VVV captain Patrick faced each other three times before in the Eredivisie, with Cees playing at FC Twente and Patrick for Feyenoord. Patrick won twice and Cees once.
Saturday’s match is an important one in the relegation battle. VVV are second from bottom trailing Excelsior, who are third from bottom, only two points. The historic Eredivisie record between both clubs is equal: three match matches played, one win for both clubs and one draw with a total goal difference of 3-3.
Excelsior come from a 4-2 loss against top-ranked PSV last week and VVV were blown away by Vitesse 5-1. The home team are in desperate need of a win after losing eight of their last nine matches.
Vitesse will play its First game with Albert Ferrer as trainer on Saturday. The Spanish coach is going to change a lot in Arnhem: “We’ll play a different system, not only in the matches, but also in our training sessions.”
Ferrer was happy with the 5-1 win against VVV-Venlo last week, but he insisted that there still is a lot to improve. “It’s important that the players realize that as well and they all agreed.”
The new style of play will probably cost Nemanja Matic and Dejan Stevanovic their spot in the starting lineup. Laryea Kingston will is due to make his debut as defensive midfielder and Genaro Snijders will probably play in an attacking role on the left wing.
Heracles will enter the match confidently after their 3-0 win versus FC Groningen last week, but Peter Bosz’ team is not performing well in away matches this season gaining 1 one point from 7 games. The coach will be on well-known soil this Saturday. Bosz started his playing career in Arhem and played 81 matches for Vitesse.
Both De Graafschap and Roda JC did not set a result last weekend because their matches were flushed out by the rain. De Graafschap played 56 minutes against Willem II (0-0) before the match was abandoned on Friday and Roda JC’s home match against FC Utrecht was postponed before it even started.
Roda should pay special attention to Rydell Poepon. The striker from De Graafschap hit the target against Roda 4 times in 6 Eredivisie matches and there’s no Eredivisie club against which he has a better striking record. This season he’s De Graafschap’s main target man with 5 goals from 13 matches.
De Graafschap are in need of points to avoid dropping down to the relegation zone and six ranked Roda may provide a good opportunity. The ‘Superboeren’ grabbed 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 home matches against the team from Kerkrade. The last time Roda won in Doetinchem 26 August 2000: 1-3.
After their well-deserved 2-0 home win against Ajax last week AZ face another top-three club: FC Twente. The ‘Tukkers’ lost the league lead last week, when they got beaten 2-1 after being 1-0 up until the 80th minute at NAC Breda. It was the first defeat of the title holders this season.
Twente will try to regroup AZ is looking for more. From a historic perspective the visitor’s will have a tough job. Their last away win in Enschede was on 10 December 2005 (3-1). Twente won all 4 matches since then.
AZ had many players on international duty this week. Sweden’s Rasmus Elm and the suspended Pontus Wernbloom drew 0-0 draw against Germany and the Argentina goalkeeper Sérgio Romero beat Brazil 1-0 in Qatar. Finland’s Niklas Moisander defeated San Marino 8-0 and Brett Holman lost 3-0 with Australia versus Egypt in Cairo. Stijn Schaars played three minutes as a substitute for the Netherlands in the 1-0 friendly home win against Turkey. Twente’s Theo Janssen played 45 minutes in that match, giving the Orange midfield a real boost as a substitute for Wesley Sneijder.
“This probably is the most important week of the season,” Ajax-coach Martin Jol said at the pre-match press conference before the fixture against PSV on Friday. After two consecutive league losses against ADO Den Haag en AZ respectively the match against number one ranked PSV seems to be Ajax’ last chance to keep up title hopes this season.
Two losses in a row is not very common in Amsterdam, but losing three consecutive league matches is something the youngest Ajax-fans will not even be able to remember. This happened in April 1999, when the club equaled the negative club record of four league matches in a row.
Avoiding their third consecutive league loss is going to be tough against the league leaders, with many players coming back from international duty. Especially for Luis Suarez this was a exhausting journey. The captain flew to Santiago for an international friendly against Chili, which he lost 2-0.
PSV has many international players as well, but the club was able to prepare quietly. Trainer Fred Rutten does not want to predict anything. “These are special matches. Obviously the pressure is on them, but pressure can give them unexpected powers.” Striker Jonathan Reis is back in the PSV squad after a two match suspension and defender Stanislav Manolev is back from an injury.
Willem II will again be looking for their First win of the season on Sunday. Last week their home match against De Graafschap was abandoned due to rain at 0-0 in the 56th minute. Sunday’s opponent sc Heerenveen drew 2-2 against Feyenoord last week.
Willem II’s last win in Heerenveen dates back to 13 December 2000 (1-0). Since that match they lost five times and drew four times in the Abe Lenstra Stadium. Last season the home team won 4-2.
Heerenveen-trainer Ron Jans is confident about the match against the bottom ranked ‘tricolores’ but he still thinks his own team has to improve a lot. “We are still too unstable, we’ll have to prove that we can perform steady on a high level. Willem II will be a good test. They want to stay in the League and they will fight for every inch of the pitch.”
“We’ll have to fight hard for our 14th sport on the ranking,” said Feyenoord-coach Mario Been. The former top club from Rotterdam start as the underdog against 4th ranked FC Groningen on Sunday.
FC Groningen-coach Pieter Huistra is confident, but cautious as well. “Feyenoord are very unstable this season, but they’re able to play a good passing game and in their latest matches they’ve scored as well.” Huistra does not have any injury troubles. “That’s luxury, there is always the tension between players in and out of the starting lineup.”
Historically the fixture between FC Groningen and Feyenoord in Groningen is equal. The match is played 31 times. Both clubs won 11 times and nine times it ended in a draw. Last season Feyenoord won 3-2 in the Euroborg Stadium.
NAC come from a 2-1 home win against title holders FC Twente last week, but the away match against ADO Den Haag is not going to be easy. ADO are doing well themselves this season, being ranked 7th with 22 points from 14 matches. The last time the club had a better record at this stage of the season was in the 1990/91 season, when they were ranked 4th.
ADO are particularly well at home this season, being undefeated in their last 5 matches and having won their last 3 at home. The last time NAC defeated ADO in Den Haag was in 2005.
NAC-trainer John Karelse is impressed with ADO this season. “They have a solid defense and string forwards. They really enjoy playing the game and that’s good for a team.”
FC Utrecht are ranked 9th and NEC 10th. Both clubs have 19 points and both clubs are aiming at a Europa League ticket so their encounter in Utrecht on Sunday is very important.
NEC are on a good streak, being undefeated and having won two of their last 5 matches. Utrecht lost their last two Eredivisie matches and are looking for the way up again.
For Frank Demouge the match against NEC is always special, being raised in Nijmegen. The Utrecht striker started his professional career at NEC, where he scored 15 goals in 81 league matches.
