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Graafschap vs Helmond Prediction & Betting tips
De Graafschap broke for FC Emmen last week and hopes to pick up the shape of the last weeks again on Friday evening. The showdown with Helmond Sport offers the Superboers the ideal opportunity to hit back with a victory.
Graafschap :
De Graafschap started the season dramatically, but in the last months the team from Doetinchem succeeded little by little in closing one hole after the other. The formation of coach Henk de Jong has now reached the eighth place, which means that placement for the playoffs is a feasible mission. De Graafschap recently booked three victories in a row that provided a lot of confidence, but last week in Emmen the visitors failed to prevent a defeat. As a result, Almere City flew over De Graafschap again and the Superboers are now hoping to regain the shape in order to close the gap with the top five. That gap is only five points and that is why De Graafschap’s current position is one with possibilities.
As said before, it went wrong for De Graafschap in the away match against FC Emmen, one of the revelations of the season. The hosts quickly opened the score, but then it was the turn of the visitors. Daryl van Mieghem and Tarik Tissoudali were quick to find it and that’s why after 31 minutes of football there was a somewhat surprising 1-2 position on the board. De Graafschap, however, failed to maintain the level and that gave FC Emmen the chance to win the game. The game appeared to be heading for a 2-2 draw, but in the final part of the game, Dick Lukkien’s men struck hard by scoring three more runs. This resulted in a flattering 5-2 final score.
De Jong has already indicated in his traditional talk with the press that he will make a change. Myenty Abena was not fit for the last weeks due to a head injury, but now the wing defender has recovered completely. Abena will complete the defense on the right and that is not too good news for Bart Straalman. Straalman will have to start on the bank on Friday evening. Anthony van den Hurk is also close to a return. The striker already partly participated with the group, but this game is too early for him. Andrew Driver and Elvio van Overbeek are also still in the sick bay.
Helmond :
Helmond Sport is one of the teams that already seems to crave the end of the competition. De Brabanders do not succeed at all in showing the potential and therefore placement for the playoffs seems to be a utopia. A period title could still make the season a success, but the dramatic form still throws a spanner in the works. Helmond Sport recently put down a series of four defeats, which meant that the last place suddenly came back into view. The gap with the number last Young FC Utrecht had shrunk to six points and therefore the showdown with the youngsters from the Domstad was an important match. In the own Lavans Stadium, Helmond Sport won, blocking the attack by Jong FC Utrecht, but that is what has been said. Incidentally, Go Ahead Eagles and RKC Waalwijk collected only one point more than Helmond Sport and passing those teams in the rankings could give the men of trainer Roy Hendriksen a boost.
Last week, Helmond Sport succeeded in winning the match against Jong FC Utrecht. Anouar Kali appeared at the kick-off at the visitors, but for the rest Robin Pronk’s team consisted mainly of young players. They did not appear to be able to keep Helmond Sport off the win. Charlton Vicento opened the score for half time and just after the tea the match seemed to have been played when defender Ruben Hoogenhout collected his second yellow card of the evening. De Brabanders then defended the lead successfully and by the end of the game, another goal from substitute Marijn van Heugten came in.
Hendriksen has something to choose for the meeting with De Graafschap. The coach has been dealing with a relatively long injury list for quite a few weeks, but the end of that seems to be coming into view. Some players are still sidelined because of their injuries, but Ron Janzen and Grad Damen are back again this week. Disappointing news is that Maikel Verkoelen will not be part of the match selection. The central defender made his comeback last week as a substitute player to make a few minutes, but a tap in a match with the promises this week cast a spanner in the works.
Graafschap vs Helmond head to head matches
06.10.17 EER Helmond Graafschap 0 : 2
13.03.17 EER Helmond Graafschap 0 : 2
21.10.16 EER Graafschap Helmond 2 : 4
03.04.15 EER Helmond Graafschap 2 : 1
01.11.14 EER Graafschap Helmond 5 : 0