Heerenveen take on the visitors Twente in the first leg of Dutch Eredivisie semifinal match for UEFA Conference League participation. The match will be played on Thursday, June 1st at Abe Lenstra Stadion (Heerenveen).
Thanks to a favorable schedule towards the end of the championship, SC Heerenveen played against opponents from the lower part of the table in 3 out of their last 4 matches. They won two of those matches and drew the other two, securing an 8th place and a chance to compete for a spot in the Conference League. Overall, the Super Frisians had an average performance in the tournament, winning and losing 12 matches each. Their attacking display was not particularly impressive, as they managed to score 44 goals, an average figure by Dutch standards. Only in 15 out of the 34 rounds of the championship did SC Heerenveen score more than one goal.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
FC Twente spent some time in the top three during the first half of the championship. However, the Tukkers were eventually displaced to the fifth position by the three Dutch football giants and AZ Alkmaar, who had been seeking to join them. Now, Twente is compelled to fight in the playoffs for the right to represent the Netherlands in the Conference League.
Twente finished the season excellently, winning 7 out of their last 10 matches. In the final round, they defeated Ajax 3-1. Overall, Twente had the best defensive line in the championship, conceding only 27 goals, three fewer than the champion Feyenoord. Throughout the tournament, Twente conceded more than one goal on only seven occasions. However, it should be noted that two of those instances were against their upcoming opponent. Nevertheless, this is a different scenario as the matches in the playoffs have their strategic and tactical specifics. Surely, the Tukkers will address the defensive errors they made against Heerenveen in the championship. Most likely, they will pay special attention to protecting their own goal and aim for a favorable outcome in the away leg to finish off the opponent at home. I won't dare to predict the winner of the first leg of this playoff thriller, but considering the nature of knockout matches and Twente's possession of the best defensive line from the previous championship, I venture to suggest that the Super Frisians won't manage to score more than one goal.
Prediction for the match: Heerenveen to score under 1.5 goals.
