MAASTRICHT VS FC EMMEN PREVIEW & PREDICTION
Two teams that proved themselves a bad service last Friday meet each other Monday afternoon in the Geusselt. Which team can recover?
MVV:
MVV is involved in a fierce battle with a large number of teams for the remaining play-off tickets. The people of Maastricht, traditionally seen as a regular customer in the playoffs, are not yet certain of anything.
The team of Ron Elsen proved himself a bad service last Friday by losing 2-1 to FC Den Bosch. The people from Maastricht started too weak in the game and left twice to cover Jort van der Sande who was able to get completely free twice in the first twenty minutes. In the second half, the game that put the guests on the mat was slightly better, but further than the tying goal of Jonathan Okita the Star Bearers did not come. In the time of injury, Pieter Nys took his second yellow card, which meant he had to miss the encounter with FC Emmen.
The difference between home and away matches this season is big at MVV. Outside Maastricht was only won three times so far, but in the own Geusselt the team performs excellent. The last four home games were all won.
Monday will be puzzling for Ron Elsen in the midfield. The coach can no longer call on captain Ricardo Ippel for the rest of the season, while Nys is suspended. This would allow a place to be released for Shermar Martina or Dean Koolhof.
FC Emmen:
Emmen is going through a good season and in mid-February there was even talk of the fact that the team could start as a serious title candidate. Since then, the team of trainer Dick Lukkien has just had to make way and the results have been disappointing in the last few weeks. The team only managed to win one of its last seven games.
The Oude Meerdijk is also no longer an impregnable fortress. Two weeks ago, Emmen surprisingly crashed into the field against Young AZ for the first time of the season, after which Dordrecht also won the full prize from Emmen last Friday. The Sheep Heads triumphed with 1-3.
After 52 minutes, the home team already faced a 0-3 deficit. The goalkeeper of Youri Loen came way too late to bring back the tension in the game. Besides the three points, Emmen also lost Mario Bilate and Norair Aslanyan-Mamedov. Both attackers had to be replaced with an injury. In the run-up to the race, Anco Jansen and Stef Gronsveld were also left with injuries.
Emmen needs to win again in order not to endanger a spot in the first seven. The gap with FC Dordrecht, in the current state the first team to enter the first round of the playoffs, is five points.
PREDICTION: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.62
