The Eredivisie is into its eighth match week and the table is starting to take shape. PSV remain the leaders, but behind them the likes of FC Utrecht have been a surprise package this season. At the bottom, Almere City and RKC Waalwijk remain winless.
Almere City v Willem II
Almere City cannot afford another match week without a win. Newly promoted Willem II visit the Yanmar on Friday night following two tough outings against PSV and Utrecht. Almere lost a close one to PEC Zwolle away from home 1-0, a better performance than the 5-0 defeat to Twente the weekend prior. Goals have been hard to come by for Almere, with no one having scored more than one. The side have only scored two while being leaky at the other end. For Willem II, they have started reasonably well but if they want to secure their spot in the Eredivisie next season they need to beat the likes of Almere.
NAC Breda v NEC Nijmegen
The other promoted side NAC Breda have struggled the most out of the three that went up. They have only won one of their previous five matches, with just five goals scored in seven. NEC Nijmegen have also struggled to score, with just seven in seven for them. Defensively they have been okay, conceding eight, whereas NAC have shipped 14, the third worst defence in the league.
PSV V Sparta Rotterdam
Domestically, PSV remain with a perfect record. Sparta are the next side hoping to at least grab a draw against the league leaders. PSV look set to be without Joey Veerman, which will certainly boost the confidence of the side from Rotterdam. The away side have only lost once this season, yet their problem has been draws with four. Last season PSV put eight goals past the Rotterdam defence over the two matches. The last time Sparta beat PSV was back in 2016.
FC Utrecht v RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk have another tough task this weekend in their bid to finally grab a point this season. Utrecht have been in great form, coming into this game off the back of four wins on the bounce. RKC did at least hold Ajax out for 75 minutes last weekend, but they will be wary of a Utrecht side that is yet to lose this season. Last year the sides drew both of their league matches, something that might give Waalwijk fans a bit of hope on Sunday evening. 2020 was the last time that they away side managed to beat Utrecht.
Go Ahead Eagles v Heracles
Two sides in a similar vein of form meet at De Adelaarshorst on Sunday for the lunchtime kick off. Both have only lost one of their prevoius five, with Go Ahead having won three and Heracles winning twice. The away side are on a two game winning streak, having grabbed 2-1 wins over Heerenveen and NEC Nijmegen. Go Ahead beat Groningen 1-0 last time out. Heracles have not won in Deventer since 2017.
Feyenoord v FC Twente
One of the bigger games of the match week, Feyenoord and Twente should provide plenty of entertainment on Sunday. The hosts won a thrilling Champions League tie against Girona in the week, while Twente grabbed another point in the Europa League with a draw against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. Twente are currently four points ahead of Feyenoord having played one game extra. The away side have scored 13 and conceded five, while Feyenoord have scored 12 and conceded six. Twente have not lost to Feyenoord for three games now, and have only lost once in their previous 10 meetings.
Heerenveen v PEC Zwolle
Two inconsistent sides this season, Heerenveen have won two of their last five, the same as PEC Zwolle. The sides are level on points with seven and have an identical record with two wins, one draw and four defeats. Heerenveen have scored more goals with nine, but their huge defeat at the hands of AZ means they have conceded 16 to PEC’s 10. Last March, the home side came out on top 2-0.
Ajax v FC Groningen
Ajax are starting to put an unbeaten run together, with two draws and three wins in all competitions over their last five. Groningen, on the other hand, have not won in five games. They remain in mid table and would happily take that at the end of the season. Results against Ajax will be unlikely to determine their fate, but a point in Amsterdam could be really useful. They have not managed to pick up a draw away from home against Ajax for well over a decade, with their last win over the side coming in 2020.
Fortuna Sittard v AZ Alkmaar
Fortuna Sittard stopped a three game losing streak with an away draw against Sparta Rotterdam last weekend. AZ lost their match against Utrecht at home. They followed this up with a 2-0 defeat to Athletic Club in the Europa League. However, this is a side that has shown they can score, with their 9-1 win over Heerenveen coming just a few weeks ago. Fortuna Sittard have already conceded 13, the fifth leakiest defence in the Eredivisie. AZ fans will expect them to get back on track this weekend.
