Feyenoord Rotterdam vs PSV Eindhoven 

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Today’s free tip is in the Dutch Eredivisie game between Feyenoord Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven. I don’t tend to oppose Feyenoord Rotterdam at De Kuip because their fans are amongst the best in the Netherlands so they are always capable of giving the team that extra push when they need it. However, I’ve seldom seen such a weak Feyenoord Rotterdam team so I almost feel compelled to take a chance on PSV Eindhoven here.

Both sides were in action mid-week. PSV Eindhoven rested a few players for their redundant fixture against Rosenborg BK to ensure that they’re fresh for the tough trip to Rotterdam. Feyenoord Rotterdam could not afford that luxury, however, as they had still had a chance of progressing to the next round of the UEFA Europa League, and I don’t think it’s unfair of me to state that that is literally their only route into the UEFA Champions League for next season. So, they took it seriously, gave it everything they had in Portugal, and lost 3-2 against FC Porto to ultimately suffer the same fate as most Dutch teams this week; not good enough.

I do think PSV Eindhoven will be fresher here though. They were at least at home mid-week, not to mention that they gave some players a bit of a rest. On top of that, I rate PSV Eindhoven as the better team. I look at their squad and I can see what their idea is, and how they want to play football. When it comes to Feyenoord Rotterdam, I genuinely have no idea what they’re trying to do anymore. Their academy graduates will never be crap but they’re of lesser quality lately than over the years. They’re constantly changing managers, never really giving anyone time to settle, and I refuse to believe that now appointing Advocaat as a replacement for Stam can be viewed a positive, long-term move. No, he was brought in to steady a very rocky ship, and he’s done that. It tells you where Feyenoord Rotterdam are at, though, the fact that they’ve had to take such measures.

As much as I disagree with Advocaat’s appointment in the long-term, I do think it was necessary for Feyenoord Rotterdam to do something to prevent one of the country’s biggest clubs from descending into a laughing stock. They’re sixteen points behind AFC Ajax Amsterdam, they’ve conceded more goals than any other team in the top-half of the Eredivisie, and no team in the top eight have scored less goals than they have. It’s simply not a very good team, to be frank.

Now, I would say that Feyenoord Rotterdam are not the kind of side to suffer from a lack of work-rate. My personal assessment of the only two academies in Dutch football worth their salt, namely Ajax’s and Feyenoord’s, are that Ajax produce the more skilful but more lazy players whereas Feyenoord produce the feistier players with better work-rates and shorter tempers. Subsequently, Feyenoord Rotterdam tend to give teams a bit of a nightmare if they’re underestimated, especially if the home fans help them out. These are relatively minor things in comparison to the simple fact that Feyenoord Rotterdam have the skill level of a mid-table team nowadays.

There are some players in their squad that might become something more than they are (e.g. goalkeeper Bijlow, who is sadly out with long-term injury), and some players in there that can definitely give more than they currently are (e.g. Fer). Whichever way you want to paint it, though, Feyenoord Rotterdam are not an intimidating team to face anymore. Yes, Advocaat has given them a bit of organisation to stop them from being embarrassed each weekend but they’ve got next to nothing to fear in attack. Jorgensen never really progressed, Narsingh’s decision-making is poor, Tapia is often injured, Sinisterra has speed and little else – I could go on, but you get the picture. They’ve not brought in quality players for some time now, especially in attack, so unless Berghuis carries them, they’re sitting ducks.

In addition to the above, Feyenoord Rotterdam have a lot of players on the sidelines right now. I mentioned Bijlow already, and although he’s not featured this season, I still believe that they miss him – very good young goalkeeper. That’s going to be even more apparent today because veteran goalkeeper Vermeer, who has been in goal during his absence, is also out for this one. Rapid full-back Karsdorp (arguably more useful in the Feyenoord Rotterdam attack than as a defender!) is out, as is Portuguese centre-back Ie. Their other attacking full-back, Haps, is also out. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t pay too much mind to Feyenoord Rotterdam’s defensive absentees because defending isn’t something they (or indeed any Dutch team) does well nowadays. However, Advocaat has made it abundantly clear that their defence is his priority so to deprive them of two goalkeepers and numerous defenders against one of the top three teams in the country seems problematic to me. I’m not 100% confident that PSV Eindhoven will necessarily work hard enough to win in Rotterdam but losing it is not something they have an excuse for at this moment in time.

I mean, the visitors are holding all the cards, aren’t they? Their hosts are tired, missing lots of players, are struggling in the final third, and don’t look strong enough in any area of the park. PSV Eindhoven may not be enjoying their finest time but they’re still in a far better place than their hosts. They’ve got all of their attackers back now, which was a major problem for three to four weeks a while back because they didn’t have anyone that could put the ball in the net due to injuries to Malen, Bergwijn etc. Things are slowly coming together for van Bommel though, with Japanese wonderkid Doan settling in more, and Portuguese winger Bruma settling more too. I refuse to believe that PSV Eindhoven’s faithful have seen the best of either player yet but it’ll come in time.

Although I’m disappointed to see that PSV Eindhoven’s reasonable defence has now become a lot weaker for reasons that are simply beyond my comprehension, I am very pleased with their growing quality in attack. Malen is one hell of a prospect, although whether he becomes another Depay or not remains to be seen – and you can take that in whichever way you wish! Bergwijn is a very good, clever footballer. Gakpo is decent enough. Doan, Rosario, Ihatteren, Sadlek – this is the future PSV Eindhoven that we’re witnessing, and it looks rather good, in my opinion. No, they won’t be able to keep hold of top players but for now, PSV Eindhoven’s future – and present – looks pretty good.

Are they the finished article? Absolutely not. Is this game going to be easy for them? Definitely not, especially with midfield general Hendrix and German centre-back Baumgartl both out. However, they look composed enough in general and powerful enough in the final third to do enough to win at De Kuip. There’s a lot of energy and speed in their squad, and even though their defence jeopardises their ability to win matches, their goals scored tally is impressive enough for me to take a chance on them today. Compared to most Eredivisie teams, they’ve got a reasonable record at De Kuip in recent years, and I doubt they’ve faced a weaker, more vulnerable Feyenoord Rotterdam than the one that awaits them today.

Therefore, I’ve got to view the away win with draw no bet cover as a punt worth taking at decent odds of 83/100.

Verdict: PSV Eindhoven to win with draw no bet at 83/100.

Sunday’s Thoughts

As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.

Australian A-League:

Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne City 

Austrian Bundesliga:

Austria Vienna vs Wolfsberger AC
Swarovski Tirol vs SV Mattersburg
LASK Linz vs Sturm Graz 

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

Standard de Liege vs RSC Anderlecht
Club Brugge vs KV Mechelen
KV Oostende vs AA Gent 

Bulgarian A PFG:

Vitosha Bistritsa vs Botev Plovdiv
Lokomotiv Plovdiv vs Levski Sofia
Slavia Sofia vs Ludogorets Razgrad 

Croatian Prva Liga:

NK Osijek vs Slaven Koprivnica
Hajduk Split vs Istra 1961 

Czech Republic Liga 1:

Viktoria Plzen vs Teplice
Slavia Prague vs Ceske Budejovice 

Danish Superligaen:

AC Horsens vs SonderjyskE
Lyngby vs Silkeborg
Randers vs Esbjerg
Brondby vs Hobro
FC Midtjylland vs AGF 

English Premier League:

Manchester United vs Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal vs Manchester City 

French Ligue 1:

Girondins de Bordeaux vs Racing Club Strasbourg
Olympique Lyonnais vs Stade Rennais
AS Saint-Etienne vs Paris Saint-Germain 

German Bundesliga:

VfL Wolfsburg vs Borussia Moenchengladbach
Schalke 04 vs Eintracht Frankfurt 

German Bundesliga 2:

Nurnberg vs Holstein Kiel
Osnabruck vs Dynamo Dresden
SV Sandhausen vs Hamburger SV 

Hungarian Liga 1:

Diosgyori VTK vs Ferencvaros 

Israeli Ligat Ha’al:

MS Ashdod vs Hapoel Hadera
Maccabi Netanya vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv 

Italian Serie A:

Hellas Verona vs Torino
Bologna vs Atalanta Bergamo
Juventus vs Udinese
AC Milan vs Sassuolo
AS Roma vs SPAL
ACF Fiorentina vs Internazionale 

Italian Serie B:

Cosenza vs Pordenone
Cremonese vs Perugia
Salernitana vs Crotone 

Dutch Eredivisie:

FC Emmen vs Sparta Rotterdam
Feyenoord Rotterdam vs PSV Eindhoven
AZ Alkmaar vs AFC Ajax Amsterdam
Heracles Almelo vs FC Utrecht 

Portuguese Liga 1:

Moreirense vs Belenenses
Gil Vicente vs Vitoria Guimaraes
Sporting Braga vs Pacos de Ferreira 

Portuguese Liga 2:

UD Oliveirense vs Penafiel
Farense vs Feirense
Sporting Covilha vs Academica de Coimbra 

Spanish Primera Liga:

Getafe vs Real Valladolid
Celta de Vigo vs Real Mallorca
RCD Espanyol vs Real Betis Balompie
Sevilla CF vs Villarreal CF
Valencia CF vs Real Madrid 

Swiss Super League:

Lugano vs Young Boys Bern
Luzern vs FC Basel
FC Sion vs Neuchatel Xamax

Swiss Challenge League:

FC Wil vs Winterthur
Aarau vs Chiasso
Vaduz vs SC Kriens 

Turkish Super Lig:

Gaziantep Gazisehir vs Kayserispor
Sivasspor vs Fenerbahce
Besiktas JK vs Yeni Malatyaspor 

Enjoy your free betting tips!

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