Heerenveen vs Utrecht tips

Heerenveen sit eighth in the table following their impressive 5-1 win at Willem II last weekend, but remain five points and four places behind Sunday’s guests Utrecht. The visitors beat high flying Heracles 3-1 and in the process leapfrogged them into fourth spot in the Eredivisie. We’re expecting goals when Heerenveen host Utrecht on Sunday as this fixture has done for the passed three seasons without fail.

Mihajlović handed Heerenveen a fifteenth minute lead away at Willem II, but the hosts responded just two minutes later through Akkaynak to make it 1-1. A Rienstra penalty late in the half would ensure Heerenveen went in at the break with a one goal advantage, and the visitors killed off their hosts in the opening twenty minutes of the second half. Valp made it 3-1 in the fifty-third minute and van Bergen helped himself to a brace to help wrap up a fantastic attacking display from Heerenveen with twenty-five minutes of the match remaining.

Utrecht destroyed Heracles in the opening twenty minutes of their encounter last weekend, with Simon Gustafson breaking the deadlock from the penalty spot after just four minutes. Two goals in the space of sixty-seconds ended any hopes of a comeback for Heracles, as goal from Kerk and Emanuelson made it 3-0 to the hosts. The visitors were able to pull a goal back with fifteen minutes left on the clock, but Rossmann’s strike was no more than a consolation as Heracles endured their fifth defeat in six matches.

These two teams met at the end of last season in the Play-Offs’s to decide who would enter the Europa League. After losing 4-3 in Heerenveen, Utrecht managed a 2-1 win in their own backyard which saw them progress on the away goals rule. Strieder scored the only goal of the first half for Utrecht, and the hosts doubled that advantage shortly before the hour mark through van der Maarel. Rojas pulled a goal back for Heerenveen to setup a very tense final twelve minutes of the match, but Utrecht held on to claim their aggregate victory.

Both teams have been playing some good football or late and that is reflected in their results, but its Utrecht that claim the title of form favourites after they picked up four wins, one draw, and one defeat from their last six matches. Vlap top scores for the hosts with seven Eredivisie goals this season, but teammate Lammers is just one goal behind on six. Gustafson has scored four league goals for Utrecht this season, three from the penalty spot, while Emanuelson, Janssen, Kerk, and van de Streek have all chipped in with three goals.