De Graafschap v FC Utrecht
Football : Netherlands : KNVB Beker 2010/2011
Wednesday 22nd September 2010 - Kickoff 18:45

De Graafschap (13th - 7 points)

De Graafschap could be a potential cup fighter, but with one of the toughest draws for an Eredivisie club it might never come that far.

De Graafschap had a good weekend, winning on friday against Heerenveen 3-2 at home. Striker Poepon scored two goals in this match and is proving his woth being club topscorer with four in total.

De Graafschap are standing on a safe 13th place in the league with 7 points out of 6 matches, and have some breathing space. Now a cup match is awaiting and de Graafschap is not afraid to go for their chances.

De Graafschap don't have a stable defense, and are incapable of keeping clean sheets on a regular base, but up front they have convinced thus far and have scored 9 in the Eredivisie. This is just as much as champions FC Twente.

But as said, De Graafschap are pretty vulnerable on the defensive end, already conceded 17 goals which is the most behind Willem II in the Eredivisie.

FC Utrecht (7th - 9 points)

FC Utrecht have a busy schedule, competing in the Europa League made them travel to Italy last week, and a resting period is still a couple of weeks away.

Utrecht probably have main man Mertens back for this match, as he has been missed in certain matches when he was suspended in the Eredivisie. In their last match he was kept out due to some hamstring problems, so a starring role is not certain yet.

FC Utrecht won against VVV at home this weekend, but it was a hard fight and the same result as de Graafschap, 3-2. FC Utrecht are approaching their away matches very cautious, but against de Graafschap that will probably won't matter as they will have enough space to play forward and score multiple goals, and I'm exprecting to press Utrecht a bit more than usual.

Striker van Wolfswinkel is in great scoring form, already scored 13 goals in all competitions this season. Striker Demouge is ready to play and will be an addition if he's playing, and they have more options up front here then in their last matches.

The Betting Verdict

This might be a classic cup match with two hard working teams, a good atmosphere and some spectacular actions.

De Graafschap know they will only have a chance of success when push forward, as they can't rely on their defensive organisation. This will mean Utrecht could exploit the space given by their opponents with prolific striker van Wolfswinkel.

FC Utrecht is the better team here, but in cup matches logic is not always to be trusted, and that's why I'm picking goals over Utrecht here. Over 2.5 goals is available at various bookies around 1.70, which is a good offer in my opinion.

I'm expecting both teams to score here, and knowing de Graafschap hasn't played an under 2.5 home match this season, I expect this trend to continue.

FC Utrecht will not be keen on an extra time period, they need every break they can get, and a less cautious approach will not be a huge surprise.

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Over 2.5 goals in what should be an entertaining cup-tie at a price of 1.70