On Saturday evening, promotion-chasing Excelsior host Helmond Sport in the Dutch Eerste Divisie, in a game between two teams who have enjoyed contrasting fortunes this season.
Excelsior are currently in third place in the Dutch second-tier table but are five points adrift of the automatic promotion spots. An unbeaten run of six league games, including five wins has kept the home team in contention for automatic promotion.
🔥 1️⃣6️⃣ uit 6️⃣De laatste 6 duels zijn wij ongeslagen. Kunnen wij in de jacht op nummer 7 weer op jouw steun rekenen?✅ TOP Oss✅ FC Volendam✅ FC Den Bosch✅ Roda Jc✅ Jong FC Utrecht✅ Jong AjaxScoor jouw tickets 👉 https://t.co/NXuVM99Bf6💪⚫🔴 #samensterk #exchel pic.twitter.com/BmtHc0PnwG— Excelsior Rotterdam (@excelsiorrdam) March 23, 2022
🔥 1️⃣6️⃣ uit 6️⃣De laatste 6 duels zijn wij ongeslagen. Kunnen wij in de jacht op nummer 7 weer op jouw steun rekenen?✅ TOP Oss✅ FC Volendam✅ FC Den Bosch✅ Roda Jc✅ Jong FC Utrecht✅ Jong AjaxScoor jouw tickets 👉 https://t.co/NXuVM99Bf6💪⚫🔴 #samensterk #exchel pic.twitter.com/BmtHc0PnwG
A 1-1 draw at TOP Oss last time out in the league ended a five-game winning run in the Dutch second tier.
Excelsior have won their last three home matches in the Eerste Divisie, scoring at least two goals in each of the victories.
The run has proven a key factor in the home team still being in contention for automatic promotion.
Another big factor in Excelsior’s relative success this season is the goalscoring form of young striker Thijs Dallinga, who has scored 30 goals in 31 league appearances this season. The youngster will be confident of adding to his goal tally against the league’s bottom club.
Helmond Sport are rock bottom of the Dutch second tier, four points behind 19th place Jong Utrecht. Despite the poor season so far, the visitors head into this game on the back of a 4-0 home win over NAC Breda.
The victory ended a run of three straight defeats in the Eerste Divisie, so it was a massive improvement from recent results for Sven Swinnen’s team.
Unlike their opponents, who are top of the scoring charts in the second tier, Helmond has struggled for goals this season, as only two teams have scored fewer goals than the visitors in the Eerste Divisie.
Forebet predicts that Excelsior will record a victory in a high-scoring encounter to boost their chances of earning automatic promotion this season.