While some sides are still to complete six matches, the Eredivisie marches into its seventh match week this weekend. Two sides remain without a win, while there are four sides who are yet to lose. Will PSV’s perfect start to the campaign come to an end this weekend?
Heracles v Heerenveen
Friday kicks off with Heracles welcoming Heerenveen to Almelo. The home side grabbed their first win of the season away at NEC Nijmegen last weekend, while Heerenveen ended a run of two defeats on the bounce with a win over Groningen. Heracles are suffering a number of injuries and have struggled in front of goal, scoring just four times. Heerenveen are doing better on that front, but a 9-0 defeat a few weeks ago has really dented their defensive record. However, they have a good record against the home side, having won the last four matches against the side. Last season they won this fixture 2-0.
Willem II v PSV
Can newly promoted Willem II be the ones to end PSV’s winning start to the season? To do so, they will hope that striker Kyan Vaesen can continue his good start to the season, having scored three goals in six matches. Peter Maes’ side have started the Eredivisie campaign well, with two wins, two draws and two defeats. PSV are the in form side however, having grabbed six wins already and scoring an impressive 23 goals. When the sides last met in 2022, PSV won 4-2, although they did lose 2-1 in Willem that season.
NEC Nijmegen v Feyenoord
NEC will be hoping to end a run of two defeats on the bounce against a Feyenord side that are already playing catch up in the title race. The hosts have been goal shy so far this season and were disappointed to lose to Heracles last weekend. Feyenoord on the other hand are already nine points adrift of PSV. Despite a 5-1 win over PEC Zwolle, the side have then stuttered a bit and shown inconsistency under new man Brian Priske. Santiago Gimenez’s injury will also be a major blow and could give NEC a boost of confidence. Last season both sides faced each other in the cup final, with Feyenoord winning 1-0.
Sparta Rotterdam v Fortuna Sittard
Sparta will hope to heap more misery on Fortuna Sittard this weekend, with the away side having lost four of their six games to start the season. Camiel Neghli has been in good form for the side this season, with three goals in six matches so far. Since opening their season with two wins, Sittard have only scored once in four games. They are also conceding an average of two goals a game, not a recipe for success. Last season Sparta won both clashes, including a 4-0 home win.
PEC Zwolle v Almere City
Two sides who could really do with a win meet in Zwolle Sunday lunchtime. Almere City have yet to win this season, scoring just two goals in six games and conceding 17. PEC haven’t faired much better, with just one win in six but at least they have scored six goals. They will be under pressure from the home fans to beat Almere on Sunday and begin to climb up the table. Last season they lost the home fixture 1-0, a result that would do wonders for Almere and for their fans hopefully kick start their season.
FC Groningen v Go Ahead Eagles
Newly promoted Groningen will be without Marvin Peersman and Brynjolfur Andersen Willumsson on Sunday after their red cards in the clash with Heerenveen last weekend. That defeat means the side have only won once in their last five matches, although three of these have been draws. Leandro Bacuna will hope to captain his side to victory over a Go Ahead Eagles side that has won two of its last five matches. The side from Deventer have struggled in front of goal with just five goals in six games. When they last faced each other in 2023, the sides drew 1-1. A similar result feels likely this weekend.
FC Twente v NAC Breda
Twente come into this clash with newly promoted NAC Breda full of confidence. After two wins in the league they drew 1-1 at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Sem Steijn remains a key man, with six goals in six games. Newly promoted Breda are not performing as well, with just two wins in their previous five matches. A draw would be a decent result for the new boys given Twente’s form, something they managed to secure the last time the sides met in the Eredivisie.
RKC Waalwijk v Ajax
RKC Waalwijk are one of the other sides yet to win. They are also the only side yet to pick up a single point this season. The side recently picked up Mo Ihattaren and will hope that he can inspire them to victory against one of his former sides. They will have to do without Michiel Kramer who is suspended. Ajax also have a number of injuries, but if Francesco Farioli’s side fail to win on Sunday evening their will be plenty of questions asked. Last season Ajax won an entertaining five goal thriller in Waalwijk but will hope for a more comfortable evening this time around.
AZ Alkmaar v FC Utrecht
AZ won an entertaining European clash with Elfsborg during the week to keep their good form going. They face a Utrecht side who are also in decent form in what should be the game of the weekend. Alkmaar are yet to lose and so are Utrecht, although the away side have played one game less than their opponents. Noah Ohio has hit the ground running for Utrecht with three goals in five games, while Ibrahim Sadiq has stepped up for AZ with four goals and three assists in six games. the last time these sides played each other the game ended 3-3, and we hope for a similar level of entertainment on Sunday evening.
