Dutch EreDivision
2009-02-14 - FC Twente vs FC Volendam
A Sports Betting Pick by Billie
Football: Netherlands, Eredivisie
Saturday, 14th February 2009 - kickoff 18:45
FC Twente (2nd - Home Rec : 7-3-1 27:8)
FC Twente is currently on second place, which would secure Champions League preliminaries. But with 3 clubs on less then 5 points behind, this is far from decided yet.
It looks like Twente is in some sort of mini-slump with 1 win and 2 draws in their last 3, but they are unbeaten in 12 Eredivisie matches and took 13 of a possible 15 points in their last 5 home matches.
The only match they didn't manage to win was against Utrecht, who defended the 0-0 with all they had, and snatched it as Twente just couldn't finish a single one of the many chances they created.
Twente sold their captain Wielaert to Ajax in the transfer window, but in my opinion they didn't lose much quality as they got Wisgerhof from NEC, which is the same type of player.
On the other hand Brazilian defender Douglas seems to struggle a bit with his form after an impressive first half of the season which ended with an injury, but Chelsea-loanie should do the job against Volendam. Twente will be complete for this match.
FC Volendam (18th - Away Rec : 1-2-8 5:31)
Volendam has improved on the road lately, taking 4 of their total 5 away points in their last 2 away matches. The return of forward van Zaanen looks to be vital for Volendam, he scored in all 3 matches since his return after an injury.
Volendam showed some good play, creating many chances against NAC and Willem II, but last week a crazy game against PSV showed their problems again. They can be dangerous and score goals, but their defending is so naive they will always concede goals. PSV won the match 5-3, and even though it was 2-2 for a little while, a PSV win was never in doubt.
Volendam finished that match with ten men, after striker Tuyp was sent off. That shouldn't be a huge problem, as he plays a bigger role in home matches then away matches. Furthermore Hofstede, Maynard and Sterk are out, with the first two being regulars.
The Betting Verdict
Twente has showed so many offensive potential this season, it doesn't seem likely they will be stopped by the worst defense in the Eredivisie.
After the dissapointing last match against de Graafschap, this is the perfect chance for Twente to get back on winning ways. I'm pretty sure they won't settle for a 1-goal margin win and will keep pressing till the end.
Twente's defense is above average, and Volendam will have a hard time offensive and defensive. Odds aren't great but I'm taking Twente -1.5 @ 1.47.
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take FC Twente to cover the -1.5 handicap.
