Eredivisie: Feyenoord vs. Ajax Preview, Odds, Prediction

Feyenoord and Ajax clash in the possible title decider this Sunday at De Kuip in Rotterdam. These two Dutch powerhouses are racing for the Eredivisie honors and currently occupy first and third place in the standings. Feyenoord tops the table, having four points more than AZ Alkmaar, who is second, and five more than Ajax in the third position. This is one of the biggest derbies in Western Europe, the clash between two former European champions, and as such, it has additional significance to both units. 

Feyenoord (+170) had three games following the World Cup. The first was against Utrecht 1-1, then they beat Zwolle in the Dutch Cup, 3-1, before routinely trashing Groningen on the road, 0-3 in the most recent Eredivise game.

So far this year, Feyenoord is unbeaten at De Kuip, winning five of its seven games and scoring 16 goals while allowing only two. Unlike other top rivals in the title quest, the Rotterdamers played one or even two games fewer at home than on the road, which will be a big plus for them in the remaining part of the campaign.

The last loss Feyenoord experienced at home was in May, in the final season appearance at De Kuip. Including the European competitions besides the domestic, they are on an 11-game unbeaten run in Rotterdam.

Ajax (+160) comes in into this game as a slight favorite, but the truth is that all the experienced punters disagree with that, suggesting that the Lancers should be underdogs. In three events after the restart, we’ve seen them winning just once and posting two draws. Both were in Eredivise, against NEC on the road, 1-1, and at home vs. Twente, 0-0, while that single win came in the Cup in Den Bosch, 0-2.

But Ajax’s decline didn’t start with the World Cup pause. It was apparent much before that. Even though the Lancers kept themselves near the top, we noticed their struggle and lack of flamboyancy compared to the previous seasons. Yet, after all the transfers, that was kinda expected. 

Ajax’s matches on the road are efficient, and just one in the past nine was below under 2.5 goals, and the same is with both teams netting. 

Timber and Trauner are definitely out for Feyenoord, while Troost remains a game-time decision.

Hlynsson is suspended due to a red card received against Twente, while Kaplan has a knee injury. Baas and Grillitch are questionable.

Head to Head Games

Ajax has six consecutive victories over Feyenoord, and the Lancers won both matchups last year. It was 3-2 at the Amsterdam Arena and 0-2 in Rotterdam. Feyenoord’s last triumph at home was in 2019 when they trashed the guests 6-2.

Prediction

We will be brave here and go with the hosts’ success because we believe that Feyenoord has the power to defeat the unstable Ajax. Rotterdamers have a unique chance to win the title this season, and a victory here would bring them awfully close to that goal, even though it’s still early for those claims. Feyenoord to triumph is at +170, and we are taking that.