MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 15:38:15| >> :600:1155190:1155190:
[monks data]
Waalwijk logo
Eredivisie | Gameweek 25
Mar 6, 2021 at 8pm UK
Mandemakers Stadion
FC Utrecht

RKC Waalwijk
1 - 2
Utrecht

van der Venne (53')
Oosting (59'), Anita (68')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Mahi (12'), van de Streek (90+4' pen.)
van der Maarel (83')

Preview: RKC Waalwijk vs. FC Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Eredivisie clash between RKC Waalwijk and FC Utrecht, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Unbeaten in five league games, RKC Waalwijk welcome FC Utrecht to the Mandemakers Stadion on Saturday looking to pull further away from the drop zone.

Meanwhile, Utrecht just had their six-game unbeaten run ended last time out, and they will want to bounce back as quickly as possible.


Match preview

Fred Grim, now in charge of RKC Waalwijk, pictured in 2017© Reuters

RKC were unsuccessful in their hunt for a third league win in a row as they were held to a 0-0 draw by ADO Den Haag at the Cars Jeans Stadion on Saturday.

Fred Grim's men had an opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and their opponents on the day, but they were unable to do so.

They recorded a third clean sheet on the bounce, and that newly-found defensive solidity has been crucial for them in picking up seven points from the last nine available.

That point gained at Den Haag has taken them six clear of danger, but there is still work to be done in order to secure their top-flight status.

Saturday's hosts have won each of the last three meetings between the sides on home turf, but they were victims of a 3-1 defeat when the sides met in September's reverse fixture.

Utrecht provided what was probably the most shocking result of the last gameweek, losing 1-0 at home to bottom club Emmen on Saturday.

Rene Hake's men amassed 15 of the 18 available points prior to that, and that has seen them rise to eighth place in the Eredivisie table.

However, they are currently eight points adrift of sixth place, where they finished last season, and repeating that feat would take some doing from hereon in.

RKC Waalwijk Eredivisie form: LDDWDD

FC Utrecht Eredivisie form: WWDWWL


Team News

Morad El Haddouti is unfit to play due to an ankle injury which he picked up in November when he was beginning to make his mark.

Utrecht's Fabian de Keijzer and Justin Hoogma have been sidelined with shoulder and knee injuries, and neither of them will feature in this one.

Greek forward James Efmorfidis has been involved in only seven league games to date as he continues to battle with a torn ligament.

Emil Bergstrom made his return to action with a 10-minute cameo off the bench last time out after spending the last 10 weeks out due to a hamstring problem.

Eljero Elia is still unavailable for the away side having not made an appearance since January owing to a thigh problem that he sustained.

RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Lamprou; Quasten, Touba, Meulensteen, Bakari; Azhil, Van Der Venne, Tahiri; Oosting, Stokkers, Daneels

FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Oelschlagel; Warmerdam, Janssen, St Jago, Ter Avest; Maher, Boussaid, Van Overeem; Ramselaar, Van De Streek, Kerk


SM words green background

We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-2 FC Utrecht

Both teams have been in good form coming into this, so it should be an entertaining contest to watch. The away side seem to have more about themselves and as a result, we fancy them to narrowly win this one.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


ID:437826: cacheID:437826:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6908:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a FC Utrecht win with a probability of 49.4%. A win for RKC Waalwijk had a probability of 28.15% and a draw had a probability of 22.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a FC Utrecht win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.38%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.26%) and 0-2 (6.82%). The likeliest RKC Waalwijk win was 2-1 (6.85%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.97%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-2 win for FC Utrecht in this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ron Jans, now in charge of FC Twente, pictured in September 2019
Read Next:
Saturday's Eredivisie predictions including Heracles vs. FC Twente
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1PSV EindhovenPSV26233081136872
2Feyenoord26195266214562
3FC Twente26165549252453
4AZ AlkmaarAZ26147553233049
5Ajax26118757471041
6NECNijmegen26109750401039
7Go Ahead Eagles2610793835337
8FC UtrechtUtrecht269983133-236
9Fortuna SittardSittard2697103344-1134
10Sparta RotterdamSparta2687113338-531
11Heerenveen2694134249-731
12Almere CityAlmere City2679102643-1730
13PEC Zwolle2677123447-1328
14Heracles2675143358-2526
15SBV ExcelsiorExcelsior26410123957-1822
16RKC WaalwijkRKC Waalwijk2664162443-1922
17Vitesse2645172153-3217
18FC VolendamVolendam2635182667-4114


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!