Eredivisie Betting: Clean sheet to aid Feyenoord ascent

"Feyenoord have claimed four successive Eredivisie victories, keeping three clean sheets and only being breached from the penalty spot on the other occasion."
Recommended Bet: Back Feyenoord to win to nil against Zwolle @ 2.6213/8

With three big favourites in the Eredivisie TV games, Michael Lintorn looks to other markets for the best bets...

Ajax v Dordrecht
Saturday, 17:30
Live on Sky Sports Red Button

Match Odds: Ajax 1.162/13, Dordrecht 22.021/1, The Draw 9.417/2

After a promising beginning, it is looking increasingly likely that Dordrecht's Eredivisie stay following their surprise promotion last term won't be especially long. Since winning 2-1 at Heerenveen on the opening weekend, they have gone nine games without success, losing the most recent four.

Ajax meanwhile have recovered from their standard sloppy start to emerge as the joint-best team in the division over their past six matches alongside Vitesse courtesy of four wins and two draws.

Frank de Boer's claimants of the last four titles haven't been dominant though, scoring two goals or fewer in three of their last four home league fixtures, while five of their previous seven at any venue had under 3.5 goals. The same has been true of four of Dordrecht's five top-flight road trips to date.

Recommended Bet: Back under 3.5 goals @ 2.166/5

Feyenoord v Zwolle
Saturday, 18:45
Live on Sky Sports Red Button

Match Odds: Feyenoord 1.412/5, Zwolle 9.617/2, The Draw 5.39/2

Fred Rutten's routine in his three years as PSV coach and one campaign with Vitesse was to start sprightly and burn out, but he has adopted a different trajectory at Feyenoord, who were adapting to the loss of key figures like Ronald Koeman, Stefan de Vrij, Daryl Janmaat and Graziano Pelle.

Last season's runners-up were fourth-bottom after six games with just five points before improving to claim four successive Eredivisie victories. They have been very strong defensively in that time, keeping three clean sheets and only being breached from the penalty spot on the other occasion.

Zwolle, having loaded their trophy cabinet by beating Ajax to the Dutch (KNVB) Cup in April then the Johan Cruyff Shield in August, are currently winless in three league outings and often find it difficult to score in their trickiest away encounters.

They have been shut out at AZ Alkmaar and Ajax in 2014/15 following blanks when visiting four of the top seven in 2013/14, and failed to fire on either of their latest two ventures to De Kuip.

Recommended Bet: Back Feyenoord to win to nil @ 2.6213/8

PSV v ADO Den Haag
Saturday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports Red Button

Match Odds: PSV 1.251/4, ADO Den Haag 13.012/1, The Draw 7.06/1

PSV have been here so many times before. Despite last lifting the title in 2008, this is the fourth time in six seasons that they will spend part of November top of the table. Phillip Cocu's men are four points clear of Ajax in second and seven ahead of Feyenoord in third at the ten-match checkpoint.

There is no reason why the roadblock that history suggests will almost inevitably surface will reveal itself this weekend though, as the leaders have comfortably won all five Eredivisie home games and ten out of 11 in all competitions, with the sole blemish a Europa League draw against Panathinaikos.

They have netted three times or more in four of the five league clashes and should be able to maintain their formidable strike rate against ADO Den Haag, who have leaked three or more in three of their past seven Eredivisie fixtures, including two of the last four.

Recommended Bet: Back PSV to score three goals or more @ 1.824/5

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Home And Away: Feyenoord to light up Europa League

Jonno Turner expects Newcastle to thrive on their European return and Feyenoord to be celebrating too...

It's GCSE results day today and like I said to my little sister this morning, if you fail, just remember two things: 1) you tried your best, and 2) yes, I'd like fries with that. I didn't get great results, but my excuse was that I took history, and that gets harder every year.

We're off to the Netherlands for the Europa League play-off round, as Feyenoord welcome Sparta Prague to De Kuip, looking to make home advantage count and secure passage into the group stage.

Ronald Koeman's side have lost just one of their last 13 on their own patch, and that will give them confidence as they welcome the Czechs to Rotterdam this evening.

A second-place finish in the Eredivisie last season was a remarkable achievement and Koeman will be desperate to regain momentum following their Champions League qualifying disappointment by chalking up another home victory.

Visitors Sparta Prague have won just two of their last five Europa League outings on the road, and that poor form indicates the size of the task awaiting them.

They are renowned for consistent domestic achievement, but have also been poor on their Czech Liga travels lately, winning just one of their last four. Another cause for concern is a run of one clean sheet in six.

Bet 1: Feyenoord (HOME) to win @ 1.758/11

Newcastle enjoyed a cracking start to the new Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win against Tottenham and Alan Pardew's side will aim to build on that as they travel to Greece to face Atromitos in the Europa League.

The Geordies really cemented their position as one of the country's big clubs last year, and look set to continue that this campaign as they eye this European trophy.

They go into this game on a cracking run, with eight wins in 11 competitive outings meaning that confidence is sky high. The Sports Direct Arena is known as a hard place to visit, but Pardew has got his side chalking up the results on the road too, and they could make it four wins in six tonight.

Hosts Atromitos are enduring a miserable run of results which has seen the Greeks take just one win in six in front of their fans.

Ex-boss Giorgios Donis led them to fourth in the Greek Super League last year, and was duly snapped up by PAOK, which means Dusan Bajevic is the man at the helm for this game, with this if first competitive test, and a big one at that.

The last time they played in Europe, they lost 6-1 on aggregate to Sevilla, and I think that this could also be a bridge too far in terms of quality.

Bet 2: Newcastle (AWAY) to win @ 2.6413/8

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Feyenoord v Ajax: Game-raising hosts to win De Klassieker

Betfair Live Video / Michael Lintorn / 27 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Ronald Koeman managed Ajax for four years, winning the title twice

"Feyenoord have spent almost the whole season in the top six, and that position owes plenty to victories over PSV and Twente and a draw away to Ajax."

Ajax coach Frank de Boer has been talking up his side's superiority ahead of their trip to Feyenoord, but Michael Lintorn fears that he is setting himself up for a fall...

Feyenoord v Ajax, Sunday 11:30 BST, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Feyenoord [3.05], Ajax [2.4], The Draw [3.6]

It has been ages since Feyenoord properly challenged for the Eredivisie title let alone won it, however their clashes with Ajax are still reverently regarded De Klassieker, much to the annoyance of PSV, who have actually claimed seven more championships.

Everyone in the Netherlands knows that Feyenoord are no longer a leading force, rendering it all the more unnecessary for Ajax boss Frank de Boer to note in the build-up to this latest showdown that "we are the better team, because we have better individual players".

He's right, and it certainly isn't a secret, but surely all such a comment will do is raise questions as to how such superiority translates into only a three-point gap between the two in the table and prompt Feyenoord to fight even harder to prove him wrong.

And though Ronald Koeman's side lost to lowly VVV last week, they have no trouble finding motivation for these fixtures. The fallen giants have spent almost the whole season in the top six, and that position owes plenty to victories over PSV and Twente and a draw away to Ajax.

Those wins against the capital club's title rivals came in their last two home games, so odds of [3.05] on them completing a spectacular hat-trick are rather tempting.

Over/under 2.5 goals

Recent matches at De Kuip have been rather eventful, yet collisions between these two have been less goal-heavy than your average Eredivisie encounter - the division's goal per game average is 3.27 - over the last few years.

Their last four league meetings have produced a comparatively paltry nine strikes, three of those clocking it at under 2.5 goals, so at chunky odds of [2.46], it appears worth backing that to continue.

Best Bet: Feyenoord to win @ [3.05]
Other Recommended Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ [2.46]

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