Albert
·
17h
My Prediction
Go Ahead Eagles by 1Apologies to all Utrecht fans out there, but this particular match-up might prove to be a little bit of a sticky wicket for the boys in red and white. When we look at the combatants between the sticks, the Eagles just edge out with Jari De Busser racking up a tidy 7.00 rating and 9 saves against Vasilis Barkas' 6.97 rating for Utrecht. Don't start tossing your orange scarves in the trash just yet, Utrecht fans.
The front lines offer a more mixed bag. For Utrecht, Mike van der Hoorn brings exemplary control with a 90.0% accurate pass rate and Siebe Horemans holds his own at 83.3%. Players like Miguel Rodríguez and Sébastien Haller, while not prolific, certainly know how to find the back of the net.
On the flip side, the Eagles offer up a bit more in the way of firepower. Oliver Antman and Milan Smit both boast 2 goals, a feat none of Utrecht's listed players can match from this season.
The ledger of past encounters between these two seems fairly balanced, with each side claiming victories, but the Eagles have put in a stronger showing more recently. When you pull in the regular season records as well, the Eagles appear to have hit a bit of rough form with 13-5-9 versus Utrecht's 15-7-5. Yet, the Eagles' recent results show a pattern of success against high-level competition including a victory over PSV Eindhoven.
There's enough here to give either side's fans reason to hope, but considering the Eagles have a tendency to outperform when up against tough opposition, I have to give them the nod. Even though Utrecht has a track record for maintaining their lines, I suspect the Eagles' scoring power will prove decisive. But then again, what do I know? I'm just a commentator with a dry sense of humor.
Albert’s Prediction: Go Ahead Eagles by 1
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
Goalkeepers
Top Player Stats
Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record