Every week in the 2018/19 season, Football-Oranje’s Michael Statham gives you his predictions and betting tips for each Dutch Eredivisie round. Michael competes against a different special guest each week. This time, it’s Abdul Al Sayed, a popular, Arabic-language author from Kuwait and a big Feyenoord fan.

  • by Michael Statham
  • Follow Michael on Twitter @EredivisieMike
  • Follow Abdul on Twitter @AAlsayed1973

 

Friday 17th August

ADO Den Haag v Fortuna Sittard

Michael’s prediction: ADO are still missing a striker, despite scoring twice in their last match. However, that didn’t prevent them from conceding six times in two games. Manager Alfons Groenendijk will ensure ADO grind out results to get back on track, starting with Fortuna who have made a promising start to Eredivisie life. 2-1 | Tip: Both teams to score.

Abdul’s prediction: A disappointing start for ADO Den Haag and a good start for the new-comers Fortuna, taking a point from Excelsior in an away match and losing to PSV in a very tight match. I expect ADO will struggle again. 1-2

Saturday 18th August

Ajax v Emmen

Michael’s prediction: I will be attending this match in Amsterdam and I expect to see a dominant and clinical first half so players can be rested before the crucial away leg against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League. 3-0 | Tip: Ajax -1.5 Asian handicap.

Abdul’s prediction: The Dutch giants should not struggle in this match, however, the poor start this season after a tie with Heracles and a very narrow last minute win against Venlo raises many questions. If Ajax players perform the same way they did in CL qualifiers, they should win without trouble, despite missing Neres and being busy with CL qualifiers. No chance for the new-comers Emmen. 4-1

De Graafschap v Groningen

Michael’s prediction: I’m surprised to see Groningen struggling so much, but it’s clear to see they miss Juninho Bacuna, who left for Huddersfield this summer. Until young midfielder Tom van de Looi gets more experience and Ludoveit Reis gets fit, they will continue to lose a foothold in games. Also, De Graafschaap will want to quickly forget about their 3-0 defeat to NAC. 2-1 | Tip: De Graafschap draw no bet.

Abdul’s prediction: Too early to make any judgments, but Groningen does not look very promising. De Graafschap got a great result against shaky Feyenoord, but surprisingly lost to NAC Breda. I expect Groningen to wake up. 1-3

PEC Zwolle v PSV

Michael’s prediction: Another team that’s had a false start – PEC need more time to settle new players in. An exhilarating 2-3 win in a trip to Belarus will take some energy away from PSV, hence I’m expecting a close game. 1-2 | Tip: Both teams to score.

Abdul’s prediction: Zwolle has been in recent years a tough opponent, however, they have had a very poor start this season. Meanwhile, PSV is having the best start since as long as I can remember, winning an away match in CL qualifiers and looking very solid under the new coach Mark van Bommel. 0-3

NAC Breda v Excelsior

Michael’s prediction: Another classic ‘Avondje NAC’ after last week’s buzzing home crowd against De Graafschap got the home side a 3-0 win. NAC will try use brawn over finesse and Excelsior the opposite. 2-1 | Tip: Both teams to score.

Abdul’s prediction: A very difficult match to predict as each team’s level is very much the same. 1-1

Sunday 19th August

Willem II v Heracles

Michael’s prediction: With a front three of Fran Sol, Araz Ozbiliz and Donis Avdijaj nearing full fitness, I would start to take Willem II a little more seriously. I expect a tight match against Heracles, who could continue to surprise. 1-1 | Tip: Both teams to score.

Abdul’s prediction: Heracles had a great start taking a point from Ajax in Amsterdam and beating ADO Den Haag 4-2. Willem II looks unpredictable so far, so I expect Heracles to continue the good results. 1-2

Heerenveen v Feyenoord

Michael’s prediction: This should be an open match between two teams whose fans are already expecting a little lower than their normal expectations for this season. Feyenoord on paper have the edge but I fancy Arber Zeneli to have a good game and a positive result awaits for the home side. 2-2 | Tip: Over 2.5 goals.

Abdul’s prediction: A good start for Herenveen with 4 points, while Feyenoord had a very bad start being hammered in EL and losing 0-2 in their opening match against De Graafschap. However, they seemed to recover after beating Excelsior 3-0. 1-2

Utrecht v VVV-Venlo

Michael’s prediction: VVV look a very limited side as I predicted a few weeks back, they will be fighting against relegation this season. Utrecht should have more than enough for the three points at home. 2-0 | Tip: Utrecht -1.5 Asian handicap. 

Abdul’s prediction: A very bad start for Utrecht losing 0-4 to PSV, but a good wake up beating Zwolle. Venlo did well against Ajax despite losing in the last moments of the match. For them, this is a difficult match. 3-1

AZ v Vitesse

Michael’s prediction: I will also be attending this match in Alkmaar and anticipate an Eredivisie classic full of entertainment between two sides who have exciting, young, attack-minded players. I think AZ have the edge being at home but I wouldn’t be surprised if Vitesse pinch the win either. In my opinion, Leonid Slutsky will be a fantastic coach for Vitesse. 1-2 | Tip: Over 2.5 goals.

Abdul’s prediction: Perhaps the toughest match this week, Vitesse made a great start this season despite losing to Basel in EL – they look solid. AZ have are top of the table with 6 points and scoring 9 goals, despite the big flop and the poor performance in EL against a mediocre team from Kazakhstan. 2-1

How has Michael done so far?

Week 1: 4 results and 1 correct score | 6/9 betting tips won (WON versus author Ferdi Delies [2 results])

Week 2: 5 results | 2/9 betting tips won (LOST versus writer Alex Dieker [6 results])




Michael Statham (803 Posts)

Writer/interviewer/YouTuber for Football-Oranje. Massive Dutch football fan from the UK. Follow me @EredivisieMike & subscribe to Football-Oranje on YouTube.