Predictions for the 24th round of the Premier League, February 20-22
Fortuna Sittard vs Excelsior
The 24th round of the Eredivisie will kick off with a Friday match between Fortuna Sittard and Excelsior. The teams are neighbors in the middle of the table, having accumulated the same number of points, but they are almost as far from European competitions as they are from the relegation zone. In the absence of tournament prospects, teams often aren't very reliable in their defensive actions, so it's worth paying attention to their scoring statistics here. In 4 out of 6 head-to-head encounters, the total of 2.5 goals was surpassed, as well as in 8 out of the last 9 matches involving Fortuna Sittard. This is where we suggest focusing your choice.
Match Prediction for Fortuna Sittard vs Excelsior: Total Goals Over 2.5
PSV vs Heerenveen
In the earliest slot of Saturday's part of the 24th round, Eredivisie leader PSV will host the eighth team of the championship – Heerenveen. PSV recently suffered their second league defeat, while Heerenveen is on a two-win streak. Nevertheless, for the visitors, trips to Eindhoven have ended unsuccessfully for a very long time: the last victory was back in 2009. More often than not, to be precise, in 4 out of 6 head-to-head encounters, the hosts emerge victorious with a margin of two or more goals. We expect something similar here.
Match Prediction for PSV vs Heerenveen: PSV to Win with a Handicap (-1.5)
NAC Breda vs Volendam
The evening slot will continue with two teams from the lower half of the table – NAC Breda and Volendam. Breda is in the relegation zone, and the club is four points away from the safe 15th place. Volendam has a slightly larger cushion above the relegation zone – five points. In the fight for survival, there's a high probability of a tough battle on the field. Notably, in 18 out of the last 22 matches involving Breda, there were at least three yellow cards, as well as in 4 out of 5 Volendam matches. We propose considering a bet on the total yellow cards over 2.5.
Match Prediction for NAC Breda vs Volendam: Total Yellow Cards Over 2.5
Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen
Closing the Saturday evening slots will be perhaps the central match of the 24th round between Ajax and NEC Nijmegen in Amsterdam. The teams are in 3rd and 4th places respectively, separated by just one point. NEC hadn't lost in the league since early December before the previous match, and Ajax's unbeaten streak continues since the end of the same month. Both teams are notably prolific, with the visitors even surpassing their more illustrious opponent this season: 2.6 versus 2 goals on average. Such introductions suggest a spectacular upcoming game. By the way, in 6 out of 8 head-to-head encounters between the teams, the total of 3.5 goals was surpassed, as well as in most of the recent matches of the clubs individually. The odds even allow for slightly lowering the bar.
Prediction for the Ajax vs NEC Nijmegen match: total over 3 goals
Twente vs Groningen
On Sunday, the first match will feature Twente and Groningen on the home field of the former. The visitors are on a four-game losing streak in the league, while the hosts have not lost since the end of October. The teams often draw, but in Enschede, Twente is on a four-match winning streak. The last time Groningen managed to earn points here was way back in 2020. Considering the "greens'" series of failures, we dare to suggest that Twente will emerge victorious.
Prediction for the Twente vs Groningen match: Twente to win
Go Ahead Eagles vs Heracles Almelo
The Sunday tour continues with teams from the lower half of the table – Go Ahead Eagles and Heracles. The club from Almelo is at the bottom of the table for most of the championship. The team from Deventer, where the upcoming match will take place, has not yet reached the relegation zone, but an 11-match winless streak in the league has brought them close to the Eredivisie basement (four points). The problems of both teams are largely marked by modest scoring: only four teams in the championship score less than them. This is evident from the statistics: both teams average less than 1.5 goals per game. With these inputs, we think the match will not be very spectacular.
Prediction for the Go Ahead Eagles vs Heracles Almelo match: total goals under 3.5
Utrecht vs Zwolle
Also on Sunday, Utrecht, with one of the best defenses in the league, will host Zwolle – the top-2 team in terms of goals conceded. Surprisingly, with such stats, the clubs are in the middle of the standings. Let's take a closer look at Zwolle's statistics: the team concedes an average of 2.1 goals per game. By the way, in 70% of the last 17 head-to-head encounters, the future hosts scored more than 1.5 goals. So here it is worth considering a bet on Utrecht's individual total.
Prediction for the Utrecht vs Zwolle match: Utrecht total goals over 1.5
AZ Alkmaar vs Sparta
Another match that could claim to be the central one in the 24th round will take place in Alkmaar between AZ and Sparta. The teams are adjacent in the top-6 of the Eredivisie and have the same number of points. The hosts will play after a midweek Europa League battle, which might affect their physical condition. Sparta has not lost in the league since mid-December. By the way, last season the teams exchanged away victories. In our opinion, there is a high probability that the visitors will be able to earn points in Alkmaar.
Prediction for the AZ Alkmaar vs Sparta match: Sparta will not lose
Feyenoord vs Telstar
In the final match of the 24th round, Feyenoord will host the last team of the Eredivisie – Telstar. The upcoming visitors have not lost in three matches in a row across all competitions, but two of them were against the struggling Go Ahead Eagles. Feyenoord also secured a victory over the "Eagles" in the last round and previously achieved an impressive away triumph over Utrecht, which boasts one of the best defensive lines in the league. Notably, the Rotterdam team did not concede in any of these matches. Considering that the "southerners" will be playing at home, it will be challenging for the visitors from Velsen to score.
