Six from six at the Kras Stadion – and De Graafschap arrive in crisis
Pre-match update (19:05 CET): I have found no new Volendam absences. On the De Graafschap side, Thomas Duivenvoorden called Rowan Besselink an automatic pick at centre-back and has to choose his partner between Joran Hardeman and Thomas Kok, Clint Leemans is expected back in the starting XI for the first time since the opening weekend, and cup goalkeeper Paul Reverson hurt his knee on his debut at Roda – Ties Wieggers was always the likely league starter anyway. Duivenvoorden himself called Volendam “an extreme side” – six home wins, none away – and expects “a difficult, heavy game”. Nothing here changes my view: the bet stays FC Volendam to win at 1.84 with Winz for 4/10. The odds quoted are from publication on 29 October; prices may have moved since. Confirmed line-ups were not yet available in text form when I checked, so the line-ups below are still predicted.
Nobody has taken a point off Volendam at home this season. Six league games, six wins, 22 goals scored and five conceded – and last Friday Henk Veerman helped himself to a hat-trick in a 6-2 rout of Jong FC Utrecht. De Graafschap travel north in a very different mood. Thomas Duivenvoorden’s side are 16th, have won one of their last four league matches, and went out of the KNVB Beker at Roda on Tuesday to an 84th-minute goal.
“Ik snap de frustratie bij onze supporters, maar ik ben misschien wel het meest teleurgesteld van ons allemaal.” (“I understand our supporters’ frustration, but I may be the most disappointed of all of us.”) – De Graafschap manager Thomas Duivenvoorden after the cup defeat
Predicted lineups: Volendam vs De Graafschap
Both managers rotated heavily in the cup, so I have based the predicted XIs on the last league starting line-ups rather than Tuesday’s teams. That means Hidde Jurjus back in goal for Volendam instead of cup keeper Roy Steur, with Veerman leading the line and Nick Doodeman, who has seven assists, on the left. De Graafschap made seven changes at Roda and handed loan goalkeeper Paul Reverson his debut; Ties Wieggers started the last league game, and top scorer Julian Kania was left on the bench for that 1-1 draw with RKC. Jason Meerstadt is listed with an ankle problem.
Volendam Team News & Preview
The split between home and away is the whole Volendam story. At the Kras Stadion they have beaten TOP Oss, Dordrecht, Den Bosch, VVV, Vitesse and Jong Utrecht; on the road they have one draw and five defeats. Erwin van de Looi was not happy after Tuesday’s 5-3 cup defeat in Eindhoven – “Als team hebben we niet goed genoeg verdedigd en daar baal ik van” (“As a team we didn’t defend well enough and I’m fed up about that”) – but that was a rotated side away from home, the kind of game Volendam have struggled with all season.
Veerman is the reason I trust the home form. Thirteen goals in 12 league games, three of them last week, and he has Doodeman and Reuven Niemeijer, who scored twice in the cup, feeding him. Volendam average 2.42 goals per game and more than five shots on target, numbers that hold up against anyone in the bottom half.
What works for or against Volendam
- Six home league wins from six, 22-5 on goals.
- Veerman (13 goals) and Doodeman (7 assists) give the hosts a reliable route to goal.
- Conceded five in the cup on Tuesday, and the manager criticised the defending.
- The away record (one point from six games) shows how much of their season depends on home advantage.
De Graafschap Team News & Preview
The Doetinchem club are much closer to the bottom of the table than the top. Omroep Gelderland describes a growing crisis around Duivenvoorden, who has not been sacked but has seen his side win once since 9 October. Away from home they have only beaten Emmen, and they shipped five at Heracles.
The Kania situation adds to the uncertainty. The top scorer with five goals sat out the whole RKC game after reportedly arriving late for training, then started the cup tie. Whether he returns to the league side is unclear, and without him De Graafschap have looked short of a finisher: 15 league goals in 12 games, with only 4.3 shots on target per match.
What works for or against De Graafschap
- One away league win in six, 7-13 on goals.
- 26 goals conceded in 12 league games.
- They keep the ball well – 53.4% possession on average.
- Top scorer Kania was dropped for the last league game.
Volendam vs De Graafschap Odds
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Volendam vs. De Graafschap Form Guide
Volendam Form, Stats & Data
Seventh place hides a side that looks like a promotion contender at home and a relegation candidate away. For this fixture only the first half matters. Veerman’s 7.77 FotMob rating is the highest at either club, and the 29 league goals are among the most in the division – enough to outscore a De Graafschap defence that leaks more than two a game.
De Graafschap Form, Stats & Data
De Graafschap’s possession figure is misleading – they have the ball but do little with it, and their 6.66 team rating is one of the lowest in the league. The real problem is at the back: 2.17 goals conceded per game, and they have not kept a single clean sheet in six away matches.
Volendam vs De Graafschap: Prediction & Betting Tip
A perfect home record, the division’s most prolific striker and an opponent that has won once on the road – I am happy to take 1.84 about a home win. De Graafschap’s mood after Tuesday will not help either, and if Duivenvoorden is looking for a reaction, the Kras Stadion is the worst place to try it.
Is six from six a big enough sample? Not on its own, and Volendam’s defence is far from airtight: they conceded five on Tuesday and two against both VVV and Jong Utrecht at home. A side as possession-heavy as De Graafschap could make it awkward for an hour. Even so, the quality gap in attack is wide, so I am backing FC Volendam to win at 1.84 with Winz for 4/10 and see it ending 3-1.