Was Week 1 a sign of things to come? Or are teams just getting out of the gate at their own pace?
This week, we begin to answer those questions.
PSV, after starting off with a disappointing tie with Fortuna, face a huge test against Excelsior. Feyenoord will have to be at their best to beat Joseph Oosting’s Go Ahead Eagles. And maybe the most mouthwatering matchup of the week is AZ against Utrecht, two teams that both love to attack with intention. That’s gon’sta be some good soccer.
Games You Can Watch (ESPN+)
Let’s start with PSV-Excelsior: this is a game on upset alert. It is completely within the realm of possibility that Excelsior win this game against a PSV that’s in a bit of a tailspin. I think this could be a high-scoring game. I’m going to go with PSV eking out a 4-3 win; I would also comfortably make a 2-1 Excelsior prediction.
Feyenoord looked good in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first game last week, the 1-0 win against Rotterdam rivals Sparta. But the team is still going to be under the microscope. I think this week, against Go Ahead, they struggle a bit more. I’m tempted to predict a draw, but I think Feyenoord have the talent to get the win here. Watch for Feyenoord’s striker Ayase Ueda (#9) to score his first goal of the season, and for Go Ahead’s Victor Edvardsen (#16) to create chances on offense. 2-1 Feyenoord.
This AZ team against Anthony Correia’s Utrecht… a matchup I can’t believe we’re already getting in Week 2 of the season. I’ve said this before, but Anthony Correia’s Telstar last season were so entertaining to watch. Every move the team made was with intention. They all looked composed, comfortable, and motivated. AZ look much improved in their first full season under Leeroy Echteld. I think AZ are just miles ahead of Utrecht in their development. 3-2 AZ (unfortunately).
Ajax are facing a game against Heerenveen that was looking like a cakewalk before the latter’s win over Twente last week. Now that Mika Godts is out of the door… Ajax coach Míchel has some work to do. It’s been mentioned that new star Julian Brandt won’t have the fitness to play a full 90 minutes for a few more weeks. Ajax is suddenly oozing with talent, even with the departure of Godts—but I think they’re entering a lull sans-Godts. 2-1 Ajax.
Games You Can’t Watch… Legally
NEC has arguably the biggest games in their history coming up this week and next, to see if they can qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Can you really blame them for taking their focus off the Eredivisie? They lost 2-1 against Telstar last week, and now face newly-promoted Willem II. These are two games that should be easy on paper. But I think this time, they’ll get the win. 2-0 NEC.
Fortuna are coming off an impressive tie with PSV to start the season, and now they face another newly-promoted team: Cambuur. Fortuna, the “Atlético Madrid of the Netherlands,” look like they’re going to be sneaky good this season, led by coach Danny Buijs. It’s usually pretty difficult for recently promoted teams like Cambuur to have the talent to compete with the Eredivisie regulars. 2-0 Fortuna.
Ooohh, this is a game I wish we could all legally watch: ADO against Groningen. Robin Peter vs. Dick Lukkien. Two teams playing a brand of soccer that’s easy on the eyes. This genuinely is a “cracking” game as they say in England. This is either going to be a 1-0 final score with a lot of missed chances… or it’s going to end 3-3. I think they battle to a tie in this one. 2-2.
Twente, Twente, Twente… they’re in trouble. They could use a big ol’ beautiful win right about now. On paper, PEC Zwolle are the perfect team for that—but in reality, I’m not so sure. Yes, Ajax are still putting the pieces together, but they were barely skating by with a 1-0 advantage last week against PEC until the last minute of the game. I think that speaks to how PEC look under new coach Henry van der Vegt… they’re not going to be a walk in the park. I think Twente’s struggles continue, but I also think they are able to get away with a 1-0 win here.