Hamdaoui and Fernandez to star in AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs. SBV Excelsior – Dutch Eredivisie preview
Dutch Eredivisie giants, Ajax Amsterdam, will clash with the struggling SBV Excelsior at the Amsterdam Arena on Sunday, April 24.
AFC Ajax Amsterdam
Barely three weeks earlier, the Amsterdammers were down and out in the Eredivisie title race. However, their superb performances in recent weeks coupled with poor showings from the table toppers have brought them back into title contention.
De Joden are currently placed third in the league table, trailing league leaders http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Twente-c39233 Enschede by four points with a game in hand. The outfit from Amsterdam have played good football this season, especially after the winter break where they have performed
like champions. They have an overall record of 31 played, 19 won, 7 drawn and 5 lost.
Frank de Boer, De Joden manager, will be hoping that his troops continue to dominate proceedings on the field in the remaining encounters and keep their title hopes alive. Playing at home, Boer is confident that his side will emerge victorious in the upcoming
encounter and secure all three points against the relegation contenders.
SBV Excelsior
The Kralingers come into this match on the back of a morale boosting 2-1 win over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/NAC-Breda-c39983 at the Rat Verlegh Stadion last week. Playing against an impressive Eredivisie side in this game, they would be confident of producing another good result.
Alex Pastoor, the Kralingers manager, would be optimistic about his side’s chances of avoiding relegation in the play-offs. Pastoor’s troops have bagged a point or more in their last three fixtures and will be hoping to maintain the unbeaten run until the
end of the season.
The Kralingers are currently placed 16th in the league table, six points adrift of the safety zone. With nine points left to grab in the season, chances of climbing out of the relegation zone are slim, but Pastoor’s men are determined to play
in the Dutch top tier next season.
The outfit from Excelsior have staged better shows in front of their home crowd than on the road. They have managed to bag all three points in only two of their 15 encounters while playing away from their home turf. They have an overall record of 31 played,
8 won, 5 drawn and 18 lost.
Players to watch
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AFC-Ajax-c38228 Amsterdam
The Moroccan International has been in exceptional goal scoring form this season, scoring 13 goals in 25 appearances. The prolific striker will play a key part in securing all three points for the Amsterdammers.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Guyon-Fernandez-c15479 – SBV Excelsior
The 25-year-old striker is the leading goal scorer for the Kralingers in the current campaign, netting nine goals in 28 matches. He scored the winner in their away win over NAC last week and will look to repeat the trick in this encounter.
Head-to-Head statistics
The two sides have gone head-to-head in three Eredivisie encounters before this game. Both the sides won an encounter apiece while the remaining fixture ended in a stalemate.
Prediction
It will be a tough encounter between the two teams, as both are enjoying good form of late. However, the Amsterdammers are a superior side with match winners than the Kralingers. Moreover, the Amsterdammers have the advantage of playing in front of their
home crowd that puts them as favourites to win this match. It will be a hard fought 2-1 win for the home side.
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