Ruud Brood’s men would be brimming with confidence following their impressive showings in the recent weeks and they would be keen to continue grinding out good results.
On match-day 24, RKC Waalwijk will lock horns against the struggling SBV Excelsior at Mandemakers Stadion on Saturday, March 3.
RKC Waalwijk
After lifting the Eerste Divisie title in the 2010/11 campaign, RKC earned automatic promotion to the Dutch top flight. However, even the most optimistic of their fans would not have dared to dream that the Waalwijk outfit will be competing for the last
UEFA Europa League play-offs spot.
Occupying the 11th spot in the Eredivisie table, RKC are four points behind the eighth placed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Groningen-c39119. They have secured good results at home and their record on the road is impressive, too. They have an overall record of 23 played, 8 won,
4 drawn and 11 lost.
RKC head coach, Ruud Brood, was all praises for his side, but insisted that they will continue to put in all their efforts until the end of the campaign, to enhance their chances of finishing in the top half of the table.
SBV Excelsior
The Kralingers prolonged their stay in Eredivisie by winning the promotion/relegation play-offs after they finished 16th last season.
It seems likely that the Roodzwarten would yet again be facing a similar dilemma at the end of the ongoing 2011/12 campaign. They are currently sitting at the bottom of the Eredivisie table, a mammoth nine points adrift of the safety zone.
The Excelsior outfit have acquired far from pleasing results at home and their performances on the road have remained disappointing, they are yet to register a win away from home. They have an overall record of 23 played, 3 won, 6 drawn and 14 lost.
John Lammers, the Kralingers head coach, has expressed optimism prior to his side’s clash against RKC and asserted that his side will do their utmost to get a favourable result.
“We managed to win against RKC earlier this season, and I believe we can do it again”, Lammers was quoted as saying to Voetbal International.
Head-to-Head statistics
In their last five head-to-head encounters, RKC have managed to emerge victorious on two occasions. The Kralingers claimed all three points in one fixture while the remaining two matches ended in stalemates.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/RKC-Waalwijk-c40370
The Waalwijk outfit’s back-line has played an integral role in their impressive performances this term, and the 25-year-old centre-back has remained one of the key figures at the back. He would certainly play a vital role should his side manage to bag three
points in their upcoming fixture.
Darren Maatsen – SBV Excelsior
Although the 21-year-old has thus far only netted five goals, the Kralingers achieve a good result whenevr he scores. The young winger would be hoping to find the back of the net in this encounter and help his side claim a good result.
Prediction
With 10 games for each side to go after this weekend, both sides would be gunning to bag maximum points to better their league standings. However, RKC’s recent form indicates that they would comfortably cruise to a 3-0 victory.
Tags: