PSV and FC Twente will try to recover from European debacles on Thursday. Last week Twente beat PSV to take over the top spot on the ranking.
FC Twente defeated PSV thanks to two Theo Janssen goals last week and the title holders therefore regained the top spot on the ranking. Janssen’s second goal against PSV was a sure candidate to be voted Goal of the Season. The midfielder chipped the ball over goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson after a run from inside his own half of the pitch.
Twente’s win handed them the best chances to win the title with only five matches to go. According to the statistically researched Euro Club Index the title holders have a 57 percent chance to regain the championship. PSV have only a 38,5 percent chance, while number three Ajax are left with a 5 percent chance.
NAC Breda took only six points from ten matches in 2011, which makes them the second worst performing Eredivisie club this year. Only sc Heerenveen grabbed less points. Last week however NAC took its second away win of the season at De Graafschap. Another boost for NAC’s confidence will be the return of top scorer Matthew Amoah who was injured for a couple of weeks.
AZ are in contention for a top four spot on the ranking. Gertjan Verbeek’s squad won its last three league matches and thus has the second longest winning streak in the Eredivisie. Only league leaders FC Twente have a better running streak (4).
In Breda AZ was not able to beat NAC earlier this season. Erik Falkenburg put the away team 1-0 up, but Amoah handed NAC a draw when he equalized in the 79th minute.
Wiljan Vloet is looking for his 100th league victory as coach in the Netherlands with NEC at VVV-Venlo on Saturday. The coach will leave the club this summer to become director at Sparta Rotterdam, the club revealed this week. Excelsior’s Alex Pastoor will become NEC’s new coach next season.
VVV’s struggle to avoid the relegation play-offs seems to be over, the Limburg club even have to worry about bottom ranked Willem II, who are five points behind with five matches to go.
NEC won its home match versus VVV 1-0 thanks to a Ramon Zomer goal on the first match round of the season. Only once NEC managed to beat VVV twice in the same Eredivisie season, back in 1985/86.
ADO come from a 3-2 away win at FC Utrecht last week and the club is still in contention for a top five spot on the ranking. On Saturday ADO will play host to Vitesse, who defeated ADO 3-1 on the first match day of the current season. Vitesse managed to beat ADO twice in one Eredivisie season only once before, in the 1991/92.
Last week Vitesse won the Gelderland derby versus NEC in Arnhem 2-1, thanks to Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony and Norwegian Marcus Pedersen. With only two points in away matches this season, Vitesse did not perform particularly well outside Arnhem under coach Albert Ferrer, who is said to have a troublesome relationship with his assistant and former Ajax-goalkeeper Stanley Menzo.
ADO Den Haag have scored most Eredivisie goals in 2011 (27) and their top scorer Dmitri Bulykin got level with Eredivisie top scorer Björn Vleminckx last week. Both the ADO striker and the NEC forward scored 18 goals this season.
If sixteenth ranked Excelsior want to avoid the relegation play-offs, they’ll have to beat number fourteen De Graafschap on Saturday. Excelsior played host to De Graafschap in the Eredivisie four time before and the home team won twice. De Graafschap grabbed one away victory at Woudestein in the Eredivisie.
In Doetinchem De Graafschap defeated Excelsior 3-0 earlier this season. Rydell Poepon, Muslu Nalbantoglu and Steve de Ridder scored the goals.
Excelsior coach Alex Pastoor was reportedly wanted by De Graafschap before he announced his transfer to NEC this week. De Superboeren continue their search for a head coach to replace Darije Kalezic next season.
Willem II have five matches left to turn the tide, but that will probably not be enough. If the bottom ranked Tricolores relegate, they will be the 21st club to do so after having a history playing Champions League football. Willem II played in Europe’s main international club tournament in the 1999/2000 season.
Heracles come from a 3-0 defeat at Ajax last week. The club did not manage to keep a clean sheet in their last 22 away matches. Willem II however did not manage to score against Heracles in their last two home matches against the Almelo club.
In Almelo Heracles defeated Willem II 3-0 on the first match day of the current season. Marko Vejinovic and Glynor Plet (2) scored the goals.
Erwin Mulder will be back in the goal for Feyenoord on Sunday. He’ll return from injury and the 42-year-old Rob van Dijk will sit down on the bench again. Defender Tim de Cler will not be back yet and Feyenoord will also miss Gill Swerts, who is suspended after a heavy tackle on AZ’s Maarten Martens last week.
Fot FC Utrecht Feyenoord is a difficult opponent. The Domstedelingen did not manage to win in their last eight matches against the Stadionclub. That’s the longest non-winning streak of Utrechjt against an Eredivisie club.
At home Feyenoord beat Utrecht 3-1. Ricky van Wolfswinkel put Utrecht 1-0 up, but an own goal by Alje Schut leveled the game before Luigi Bruins and Leroy Fer handed Feyenoord the win.
FC Twente got hammered 5-1 by Spanish Villarreal in the Europa League on Thursday. “That was a massive disappointment, but we’ll have to focus on the league now”, said coach Michel Preud’homme on Friday. The title holders took the lead in the Eredivisie when they beat top ranked PSV 2-0 last week.
Seventh ranked Roda JC will be a tough opponent in Enschede. The Limburg squad managed to keep Twente scoreless in a 0-0 draw in Kerkrade this season. Omn Sunday Roda will miss goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton. Like last week his compatriot Mateusz Prus will replace him.
Being league leaders after the 29th match round Twente’s title chances are growing. The last time an Eredivisie club did not win the title after being in the lead with only five matches to go, was in the 1992/93 season, when Feyenoord grabbed he title ahead of PSV.
Ajax has had a relatively quiet week after all the troubles in the power battle between Johan Cruijff and the current board of directors in Amsterdam. Although nothing’s settled, not much news about the struggle was reported after the 3-0 win over Heracles Almelo last Sunday.
Like last week coach Frank de Boer will face many defensive troubles on the pitch against FC Groningen. Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, Toby Alderweireld and Daley Blind are still injured, but right back Gregory may return from an injury this Sunday. The availability of Vurnon Anita is still questionable.
FC Groningen won its last two matches after a losing streak of five. The club still aims at a top four ranking. The last time Groningen won in Amsterdam was in 1994, when Harris Huizingh and Ronald Hamming handed the visitors a 2-0 win against Ajax, who had become champions the week before. This season the title seems to be out of sight for the Amsterdam club.
PSV were were blown away by Benfica in a rematch of the 1988 Champions Cup final on Thursday. Benfica, who lost the 1988 final on penalties, hammered PSV 4-1 in the Europa League.
PSV will have to regroup fast because they have to fight for their last chance of winning a piece of silverware this season. “We have to win in order to keep the pressure on Twente”, coach Fred Rutten said about the league match against sc Heerenveen. Last week PSV lost the lead to the title holders when they lost 2-0 at Twente.
Earlier this season PSV beat sc Heerenveen 3-1 in Friesland. Ola Toivonen, who will return from a suspension on Sunday, scored twice and Orlando Engelaar added a third goal. Milan Kopic hit the target for Heerenveen.
Twente’s win handed them the best chances to win the title with only five matches to go. According to the statistically researched Euro Club Index the title holders have a 57 percent chance to regain the championship. PSV have only a 38,5 percent chance, while number three Ajax are left with a 5 percent chance.
NAC Breda took only six points from ten matches in 2011, which makes them the second worst performing Eredivisie club this year. Only sc Heerenveen grabbed less points. Last week however NAC took its second away win of the season at De Graafschap. Another boost for NAC’s confidence will be the return of top scorer Matthew Amoah who was injured for a couple of weeks.
AZ are in contention for a top four spot on the ranking. Gertjan Verbeek’s squad won its last three league matches and thus has the second longest winning streak in the Eredivisie. Only league leaders FC Twente have a better running streak (4).
In Breda AZ was not able to beat NAC earlier this season. Erik Falkenburg put the away team 1-0 up, but Amoah handed NAC a draw when he equalized in the 79th minute.
Wiljan Vloet is looking for his 100th league victory as coach in the Netherlands with NEC at VVV-Venlo on Saturday. The coach will leave the club this summer to become director at Sparta Rotterdam, the club revealed this week. Excelsior’s Alex Pastoor will become NEC’s new coach next season.
VVV’s struggle to avoid the relegation play-offs seems to be over, the Limburg club even have to worry about bottom ranked Willem II, who are five points behind with five matches to go.
NEC won its home match versus VVV 1-0 thanks to a Ramon Zomer goal on the first match round of the season. Only once NEC managed to beat VVV twice in the same Eredivisie season, back in 1985/86.
ADO come from a 3-2 away win at FC Utrecht last week and the club is still in contention for a top five spot on the ranking. On Saturday ADO will play host to Vitesse, who defeated ADO 3-1 on the first match day of the current season. Vitesse managed to beat ADO twice in one Eredivisie season only once before, in the 1991/92.
Last week Vitesse won the Gelderland derby versus NEC in Arnhem 2-1, thanks to Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony and Norwegian Marcus Pedersen. With only two points in away matches this season, Vitesse did not perform particularly well outside Arnhem under coach Albert Ferrer, who is said to have a troublesome relationship with his assistant and former Ajax-goalkeeper Stanley Menzo.
ADO Den Haag have scored most Eredivisie goals in 2011 (27) and their top scorer Dmitri Bulykin got level with Eredivisie top scorer Björn Vleminckx last week. Both the ADO striker and the NEC forward scored 18 goals this season.
If sixteenth ranked Excelsior want to avoid the relegation play-offs, they’ll have to beat number fourteen De Graafschap on Saturday. Excelsior played host to De Graafschap in the Eredivisie four time before and the home team won twice. De Graafschap grabbed one away victory at Woudestein in the Eredivisie.
In Doetinchem De Graafschap defeated Excelsior 3-0 earlier this season. Rydell Poepon, Muslu Nalbantoglu and Steve de Ridder scored the goals.
Excelsior coach Alex Pastoor was reportedly wanted by De Graafschap before he announced his transfer to NEC this week. De Superboeren continue their search for a head coach to replace Darije Kalezic next season.
Willem II have five matches left to turn the tide, but that will probably not be enough. If the bottom ranked Tricolores relegate, they will be the 21st club to do so after having a history playing Champions League football. Willem II played in Europe’s main international club tournament in the 1999/2000 season.
Heracles come from a 3-0 defeat at Ajax last week. The club did not manage to keep a clean sheet in their last 22 away matches. Willem II however did not manage to score against Heracles in their last two home matches against the Almelo club.
In Almelo Heracles defeated Willem II 3-0 on the first match day of the current season. Marko Vejinovic and Glynor Plet (2) scored the goals.
Erwin Mulder will be back in the goal for Feyenoord on Sunday. He’ll return from injury and the 42-year-old Rob van Dijk will sit down on the bench again. Defender Tim de Cler will not be back yet and Feyenoord will also miss Gill Swerts, who is suspended after a heavy tackle on AZ’s Maarten Martens last week.
Fot FC Utrecht Feyenoord is a difficult opponent. The Domstedelingen did not manage to win in their last eight matches against the Stadionclub. That’s the longest non-winning streak of Utrechjt against an Eredivisie club.
At home Feyenoord beat Utrecht 3-1. Ricky van Wolfswinkel put Utrecht 1-0 up, but an own goal by Alje Schut leveled the game before Luigi Bruins and Leroy Fer handed Feyenoord the win.
FC Twente got hammered 5-1 by Spanish Villarreal in the Europa League on Thursday. “That was a massive disappointment, but we’ll have to focus on the league now”, said coach Michel Preud’homme on Friday. The title holders took the lead in the Eredivisie when they beat top ranked PSV 2-0 last week.
Seventh ranked Roda JC will be a tough opponent in Enschede. The Limburg squad managed to keep Twente scoreless in a 0-0 draw in Kerkrade this season. Omn Sunday Roda will miss goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton. Like last week his compatriot Mateusz Prus will replace him.
Being league leaders after the 29th match round Twente’s title chances are growing. The last time an Eredivisie club did not win the title after being in the lead with only five matches to go, was in the 1992/93 season, when Feyenoord grabbed he title ahead of PSV.
Ajax has had a relatively quiet week after all the troubles in the power battle between Johan Cruijff and the current board of directors in Amsterdam. Although nothing’s settled, not much news about the struggle was reported after the 3-0 win over Heracles Almelo last Sunday.
Like last week coach Frank de Boer will face many defensive troubles on the pitch against FC Groningen. Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, Toby Alderweireld and Daley Blind are still injured, but right back Gregory may return from an injury this Sunday. The availability of Vurnon Anita is still questionable.
FC Groningen won its last two matches after a losing streak of five. The club still aims at a top four ranking. The last time Groningen won in Amsterdam was in 1994, when Harris Huizingh and Ronald Hamming handed the visitors a 2-0 win against Ajax, who had become champions the week before. This season the title seems to be out of sight for the Amsterdam club.
PSV were were blown away by Benfica in a rematch of the 1988 Champions Cup final on Thursday. Benfica, who lost the 1988 final on penalties, hammered PSV 4-1 in the Europa League.
PSV will have to regroup fast because they have to fight for their last chance of winning a piece of silverware this season. “We have to win in order to keep the pressure on Twente”, coach Fred Rutten said about the league match against sc Heerenveen. Last week PSV lost the lead to the title holders when they lost 2-0 at Twente.
Earlier this season PSV beat sc Heerenveen 3-1 in Friesland. Ola Toivonen, who will return from a suspension on Sunday, scored twice and Orlando Engelaar added a third goal. Milan Kopic hit the target for Heerenveen.
