Feyenoord v Ajax Amsterdam
Football : Netherlands : Eredivisie
Sunday, 19th September 2010 - Kickoff 12:30

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Feyenoord are playing the early sunday match, a tense affair against arch rivals Ajax.

Feyenoord

Feyenoord have lost the top of the Eredivisie out of sight, and have joined a big group of mid-table clubs.

At this point that's probably the maximum performance as there are no funds and are playing with one of the youngest squads ever. As a result of this - we are seeing up and down perfomances and a lack of stability.

Midfielders Fer and Wijnaldum are seen as key players already, with them being 20 and 19 years old. Together with defender Vlaar they are the backbone of the team, which is decent. But it's always a question how they will show up the matchday, and how they are supported by the rest of the team. There are some weaknesses in defense, they are hardly playing forward on midfield and strikers Tomasson and Cisse are injured all the time which effectively means they have no real striker.

All this problems are masked well by the decent results at home so far. Wins against Vitesse and Utrecht gives Feyenoord the maximum 6 points at home so far. Last week they were even playing a bit better then their opponent NAC, but 2 late goals of NAC didn't reward Feyenoord with a point.

Experience is hard to find and this was obvious in this match again. Defender Martins Indi received a red card which led to the 2-0, and is suspended for the match against Ajax. Furthermore first goalie Mulder and second goalie van Dijk are out for this match, which means third goalie Darley will be the man between the posts.

The remaining goalkeeper was a potential first goalkeeper in the future, but weak performances led to other conclusions. Now he will have to make his debut first team appearance in one of the most important matches of the season.

Defenders Fernandez and Schenkeveld and forward Tomasson are all injured, but Cisse is probably available again. Midfielder Bruins is slightly doubtful.

Ajax Amsterdam

Ajax were blown away at Estadio Bernabeu on wednesday against Real Madrid, coming away with a 0-2 loss. This was a flattering final score, after many wasted chances and failures by Real Madrid. Ajax were pretty much nowhere, hitting the bar once, but for the rest without a single chance.

Goalkeeper Stekelenburg was the only one shining, showing to be a classy goalkeeper. Obviously the European elite is still far away for Ajax.

Now they are back in the Eredivisie, where they have 13 out of a possible 15 matches. Main man Suarez will be back after missing out the Real match, just as defender Vertonghen. These two players are among the most important players of the team, and without Suarez this team is not great in my opinion. They are heavily relying week after week on his dribbles, and he is by far the most dangerous player Ajax has in his squad.

Last weeks 2-0 home win against Willem II was easy, mostly saving energy for tough upcoming schedule. Now everything will be taken out in this prestigious match-up. Manager Jol knows this is a match where differences of class will be to Ajax advantage, and will go for all 3 points.

It might be exaggerated to say the difference is just as big as between Real Madrid and Ajax, but there is a real class difference.

Ajax can play their usual game with the tandem Suarez - El Hamdaoui up front, and short behind them midfielder de Jong who uses the spaces created very well. Suarez and El Hamdaoui are responsible for 10 out of 16 league goals so far, and this restored duo will be hard to close out for a weak Feyenoord defense

The Betting Verdict

Feyenoord is the underdog, based on qualities of both teams. They play at home which can be a positive note for Feyenoord players, but when the pressure gets too high it might work against them. Feyenoord are still a big name, but on the pitch it's mediocre.

Feyenoord haven't met any real opposition so far and only have 7 out of a possible 15 points. The same lack of decent opposition can be said for Ajax, but the Amsterdammers have 13 points, and know how to deal with these kind of teams.

The atmosphere will be hostile but Ajax has proved they can handle that kind of situations, and have matured over the nick of time. The duo of Suarez - El Hamdaoui finds each other blindly, and it would be a surprise if they aren't a constant plague to the Feyenoord defence.

This is a perfect match-up for Ajax, as Feyenoord is incapable of putting Ajax defense under pressure, which is Ajax weaker point at the moment.

Odds on the away win are going down already, don't know if this will be the continuing trend, but now still available at 1.80 at various bookies.

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Ajax to win at 1.80