Dutch EreDivision
2008-09-28 - FC Groningen vs Feyenoord
A Sports Betting Pick by Erik
Netherlands Eredivisie
Sunday 28th September 2008 - KO 13:30
FC Groningen
The leaders in the Eredivisie will host Feyenoord on Sunday in a meeting that has been highly entertaining over the last few seasons.
FC Groningen are the current leaders in the ranking picking up two wins and a draw against Vitesse, FC Utrecht and Heracles Almelo respectively.
The 1-1 on the road against Heracles Almelo was a very decent result taking into account that the visitors had to play with ten men after the sending off of midfielder Ajilore in the first minute of the game.
Halfway the second half Heracles Almelo opened the score but a goal from Anderssen five minutes from time earned FC Groningen a point and with Ajilore being given a suspension for one game, the midfielder will be included in the selection against Feyenoord after sitting out the Cup game on the road to the amateurs of Hollandia last Thursday (2-3).
Feyenoord
Feyenoord are currently on the tenth place in the ranking with four points from three games and the team has known a very mixed start of the season.
In their first game on the road to Heracles Almelo the team suffered a 3-1 defeat but two weeks later Feyenoord set things straight winning 5-0 at home to FC Volendam.
Last week Feyenoord drew 2-2 in the classic against Ajax in a game where Feyenoord deserved a point based on their fighting spirit but needed a very cheap penalty five minutes from time to achieve this result.
Previous meetings
27/01/2008 Feyenoord - FC Groningen 1-1
25/11/2007 FC Groningen - Feyenoord 3-2
08/04/2007 Feyenoord - FC Groningen 0-4
20/08/2006 FC Groningen - Feyenoord 3-0
26/02/2006 FC Groningen - Feyenoord 1-1
16/10/2005 Feyenoord - FC Groningen 4-1
24/04/2005 FC Groningen - Feyenoord 0-2
Both teams also met each other in the play-offs for an UEFA Cup ticket two seasons ago with FC Groningen winning 2-1 at home and drawing 1-1 on the road in the return.
FC Groningen and Feyenoord played each other sixteen times in Groningen since the season 1990/1991 of which FC Groningen won 6 games, Feyenoord 6 games and 4 times the match ended in a draw.
Injuries/suspensions
FC Groningen :
Martijn Meerdink (att) (foot injury), Jeroen Veldmate (def) (knee injury), Odrej Svejdik (def) (shoulder injury), Paul Matthijs (mid) (back injury, doubtful), Gonzalo Garcia Garcia (att) (groin injury, doubtful)
Feyenoord :
Theo Lucius (def) (foot injury), Andawele Slory (att) (hamstring), Karim El Ahmadi (att) (not fit to play), Ron Vlaar (def) (knee injury), Danny Landzaat (mid) (hamstring), Danny Buijs (mid) (knee injury), Jonathan De Guzman (mid) (suspended), Tim Vincken (def) (leg injury), Tim De Cler (def) (doubtful, sick)
The Verdict
What would be the best bet in this game? The home win, over 2,5 goals or the safe option FC Groningen 1X? Let's start from the beginning and take a look at this game.
FC Groningen has a good home record against Feyenoord winning their last two meetings while the last defeat against Feyenoord either at home or on the road brings us back to the season 2005/2006 when Feyenoord beat FC Groningen 4-1 in Rotterdam.
Much has changed since then with FC Groningen solidly building their reputation about being one of the best home sides in the Eredivisie while Feyenoord has known quite some difficulties in competing for a top position in the ranking over the last few seasons.
But can we write off Feyenoord for this game? With FC Groningen being the most constant team here and the fact that Feyenoord once again was not impressive in their Cup game against TOP Oss last Wednesday (3-0 AET), I simply can not ignore the odds on the home win which are still available around $2.50.
Of course Feyenoord can be highly unpredictable but it will be a surprise if they manage to get a win on the road to Groningen with Feyenoord still missing their important creative midfielder De Guzman, while the experienced defender De Cler is doubtful and midfielder Landzaat is still injured.
The only revelation in the selection of Feyenoord this season is Diego Biseswar, who after being put on the transfer list, made a big difference in the games against FC Volendam and Ajax being given a chance after the suspension of De Guzman.
However, with the poor form Feyenoord is in at the moment, the long list of injuries and their poor record against FC Groningen over the last few years, their fighting spirit is not going to save them this time.
My bet for this game will be FC Groningen to win with small stakes and FC Groningen not to lose with a medium sized bet.
BEST BETTING TIP :
FC Groningen 1X (win or draw) at $1.45 as the main bet.FC Groningen to win at $2.50 as a small bet.
