FC Utrecht face Vitesse Arnhem at Stadion Galgenwaard – Dutch Eredivisie, preview
FC Utrecht will face the Eredivisie strugglers Vitesse Arnhem at the Stadion Galgenwaard on Sunday, April 24, 2011.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Utrecht-c39237
The Utreg are in their poorest form of late. They have lost four games in a row and have won only one of their last 12 Eredivisie encounters. With three matches remaining to play in the season, the Utreg have to secure maximum points if they have any ambition
of managing a UEFA Europa League playoffs berth.
The outfit from Utrecht started their Eredivisie campaign on a high note. They also performed impressively in Europe’s secondary club completion against the likes of SSC http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 FC. However, they have struggled to achieve superior results after
the winter break. The Utreg have played 31 matches in the ongoing 2010-11 season out of which they won 11, lost 12, while the remaining 8 were drawn.
The Utreg manager http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ton-c35408 du Chatinier will be hoping that his side achieves better results in the remaining Eredivisie fixtures of the season. Chatinier will have to weave his managerial wand to raise his troops’ morale to stage a better show in the upcoming
fixtures and finish the season amongst the top eight Eredivisie sides.
Vitesse Arnhem
After achieving a 2-1 win over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Groningen-c39119 at the GelreDome Stadion, the outfit from Arnhem would be brimming with confidence coming into the match. Albert Ferrer, Vitesse Arnhem manager, has every right to believe that his men will deliver the same kind
of performance on the field that led them to secure all three points last week.
The Arnhem outfit are currently placed 14th in the League table, 6 points away from the relegation zone. They trail the last Europa League playoffs berth spot by 6 points as well, but with only 9 points left to grab in the season, a European dream
looks murky.
Ferrer’s men performed erratically throughout the season in front of their home crowd. In addition, they have performed poorly on the road, winning only twice from their 15 encounters. Out of the 31 matches that they have played in the season so far, they
have managed to win 9, draw 8 and finished on the losing side 14 times.
Ferrer will be looking to bag maximum points in this encounter and improve their current standing in the League table. He would be looking to finish the season in the top 12 Eredivisie sides, as they finished 14th in the League table last term.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ricky-van-Wolfswinkel-c31131 – FC Utrecht
The 22-year-old prolific striker will once again lead the Utreg attack. He is the leading goal scorer for his side, scoring 13 goals in 26 appearances. He has to find the back of the net if he wants to see his side secure all three points.
Frank van der Struijk – http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vitesse-c40905 Arnhem
The versatile defender will play a key role if the visitors manage to bag a point or more in this encounter. He played an influential role in the Arnhem outfit’s last week victory and will be looking to repeat his superb performance in the visitors’ back-line
in this fixture as well.
Head-to-head statistics
The Utreg have managed to win two of their last five encounters against the Arnhem outfit. Two matches ended in stalemates while the outfit from Arnhem emerged victorious once.
Prediction
The outfit from Utrecht would be desperate to bag all three points in this fixture. However, the visitors would be satisfied if they manage to draw and looking at the home side’s recent form, the odds favour a 1-1 stalemate.
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