Zwolle vs Heerenveen prediction: NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie betting tips on match 2024-01-12 19:00.
A 2-2 draw in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in the last round of 2023 was a fitting end to the successful year that PEC Zwolle has had. The club returned to the Eredivisie and entered the winter break with a place in the middle of the table. Although the Zwolle team lost four of their last five home matches, they can draw inspiration from emerging victorious from three of their last four meetings with opponent SC Heerenveen.
One of Zwolle's strengths is that they are not dependent on one or two marksmen to score goals, because no fewer than five players have already scored three or more goals this year. The player wage budget will have to be reduced by one million Euros next season, so this winter the club will already be looking at whether redundant players can be employed elsewhere.
Heerenveen, together with last-place Vitesse, is one of two clubs that has already played eight league matches this season in which they faced a deficit both at half-time and after the final whistle. The Frisians were eliminated from the KNVB Cup by the same Vitesse at the end of December, which meant that despite their place in the top half of the table, they went into the winter break with a slightly disappointed feeling.
Particularly on foreign soil, things are not going well for the Frisians this season. In total, seven of their last eight away games were lost, while Kees van Wonderen's team did not score in four of the last six such games. It doesn't help that Andries Noppert is the only goalkeeper in the competition who has already made three mistakes this season that directly led to a goal being conceded, especially as that already had happened to defender Syb van Ottele twice.
Players to watch: Zwolle’s Younes Namli has been involved in a goal in each of his last three matches (G1, A2), whilst busy Heerenveen winger Osame Sahraoui has performed the most successful dribbles of all players in the Eredivisie this season (55).
Hot stat: Just one of Heerenveen’s last 21 games were drawn.