GRAAFSCHAP VS DEN BOSCH PREVIEW & PREDICTION
De Graafschap and FC Den Bosch seem to be placing with relatively ease for the playoffs. For both teams, it is now important to get in shape as well as possible by the end of the competition. Monday’s game is a nice test for these teams.
De Graafschap:
A somewhat disappointing final position and then sneaky through the playoffs to the Eredivisie. That stunt took NAC Breda last year and De Graafschap would like to repeat that trick this year. The team from Doetinchem performs far from stable, but hopes to strike during the decisive weeks of the season. The current seventh position is actually rather mediocre in view of the ambitions, but the club from Doetinchem is not to be underestimated. Trainer Henk de Jong hopes to peak in the playoffs and that is why it is now important to find the right form. The current form is not too impressive, but a look at the program of the last weeks shows that De Graafschap certainly did not. In 12 days De Superboeren played against the current number one, two and three of the ranking and that series yielded two points.
The Friday night game against RKC Waalwijk came very bad. The number nineteen of the Jupiler League seemed to be the ideal opponent to give the self-confidence a much needed boost. However, the competition itself was different. RKC Waalwijk defended well on the Vijverberg and held on for a long time, which made the game seem to be heading towards a 0-0 final score. Towards the end of the game, however, it was Tarik Tissoudali who managed to produce the redemptive goal in the 79th minute. The game was therefore not too convincing given the lack of goals, but the three points were caught.
In terms of physical condition, De Graafschap is pretty good at it. Lars Nieuwpoort still faces an injury and is not expected to kick off. As a result, De Jong will have to shift as Kevin van Diermen is suspended. Bart Straalman now seems to be the logical replacement.
FC Den Bosch:
FC Den Bosch has been relatively anonymous in recent months due to the subtop of the Jupiler League. De Brabanders did not play a role in the top five, but the performances were good enough to hold the position in the top ten, and that was the mission. FC Den Bosch wants to place itself for the nacompetition and that seems to be successful. The team of trainer Wil Boessen performs the last time as you would expect from a team from the bottom half of the left row. Four of the last ten matches ended in a win and three were lost. FC Den Bosch is therefore on the way to the dessert of the season and hopes to stunt there.
Last week, FC Den Bosch lost a visit to FC Volendam, but on Friday, the Bosschenaren recovered by defeating MVV Maastricht. The hosts jumped out of the starting blocks for their own audience and that impressive start ensured that the three points remained in Den Bosch. This had FC Den Bosch mainly due to the inspirations of Jort van der Sande. The striker had already scored twice after 22 minutes of football and those goals proved to be sufficient for the win. Thirteen minutes before time Jonathan Okita did something for the Limburgers, but that goal did not spoil the party of the Brabanders.
Boessen had to improvise against MVV and that is again the case against De Graafschap. Bart Biemans misses the rest of the season due to a knee injury, while Kees Heemskerk is still on the sidelines. Nick Leijten will replace him between the posts. Oussama Bouyaghlafen is available again. The attacker left a game suspension on Friday-evening.
PREDICTION: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.48
