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Roda vs Utrecht Prediction & Betting tips
Roda JC only scored a defeat in the last five games and that is why the safe fifteenth place came into view again. The Limburgers will have to count with FC Utrecht to give the confidence a boost again.
Roda :
Roda JC is already in the danger zone all season and therefore Robert Molenaar’s team has been dealing with extra pressure for months. The club from Kerkrade seemed to descend to a hopeless position, but progress has been made in recent weeks. As said, Roda JC lost only one of the last five matches and that is something to be proud of, but also something to build on. At home Excelsior won and SC Heerenveen, FC Twente and AZ Alkmaar were held on a draw. Roda JC played a reasonable match against Ajax, but that turned out not to be enough to prevent the loss. The 2-4 loss was certainly no shame. Roda JC has now arrived in sixteenth place and faces a gap of three points on NAC Breda and Willem II. A gap that is playable and that could provide extra confidence.
Last week Roda JC showed that effectiveness is extremely important. In the away match against SC Heerenveen, Molenaar’s team did not work well for the day during the first half hour and that resulted in quite a few chances for the Frisians to open the score. The hosts were the only ones left after the other opportunity and after that Roda JC punished that coolly when Maecky Ngombo actually made the 0-1 by turning the first best chance into a goal. Roda JC even came close to a narrow victory, but eventually had to allow a goal. However, the 1-1 tie in the Abe Lenstra Stadium was a result to be proud of given the positions in the ranking.
Molenaar will have to improvise again this week to come to his best team. In an offensive sense, it is enormous for the Limburgs that Dani Schahin and the new mercenary Donis Avdijaj can not take action. Schahin is the current club top scorer with six goals and his offensive impulses will be missed. Positive news can also be reported. Miller will be pleased with the fact that Simon Gustafson can start on the midfield again. The Swedish midfielder missed the previous game because of a suspension, but this time he is back again.
Utrecht:
FC Utrecht is in conflict with Feyenoord, PEC Zwolle and Vitesse. For the time being, the fourth place appears to be the highest possible for the current number six of the Premier League and securing that position will be the objective for the time being. The team of coach Jean-Paul de Jong has the strong point that it is extremely difficult to beat. Of the last fourteen matches in the league, FC Utrecht lost only one and that is a number to be proud of. FC Utrecht really owes it to the high number of draws that the club is ‘only’ sixth. In the last game of 2017, the Domstedelingen lost to NAC Breda, but in the new year the team of De Jong is still unbeaten. At home there was a draw against AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord and Ajax and during the away match against Excelsior the points were also shared afterwards. In recent weeks, FC Utrecht has shown that it still knows what winning is. At home, tight wins were booked at Sparta Rotterdam and PEC Zwolle.
The duel with direct competitor PEC Zwolle was in advance a difficult test for the formation of De Jong, but during the first period of the showdown FC Utrecht immediately showed what it has in house. The hosts shot out of the starting blocks and that resulted in a 2-0 score after 22 minutes of football. Gyrano Kerk and Zakaria Labyad had just found the net and later FC Utrecht managed to win the lead. Mustafa Saymak still scored in the 93rd minute, but that did not spoil the fun. Because of this victory, the gap with PEC Zwolle was reduced to a point, a crucial victory.
De Jong has to deal with some injuries before meeting with Roda JC, but this mainly concerns players who have been on the sidelines for some time. Patrick Joosten, Jean-Christophe Bahebeck and Simon Makienok will have to shoot the match in Limburg. Anouar Kali is back on the road after a long injury period. The midfielder got injured in the first game of the season, but his return seems imminent. Kali played last week already 45 minutes in the match of Young FC Utrecht against RKC Waalwijk. However, the game with Roda JC seems to be too early for Kali.
Roda vs Utrecht head to head matches
10.09.17 ERE Utrecht Roda 2 : 0
23.04.17 ERE Utrecht Roda 1 : 0
17.12.16 ERE Roda Utrecht 0 : 0
28.01.16 ERE Roda Utrecht 1 : 0
17.10.15 ERE Utrecht Roda 1 : 1