Excelsior vs PEC Zwolle predictions, betting tips & match preview

PEC Zwolle are struggling in the Eredivisie, they’re bottom of the pile going in to this clash with Excelsior. Despite their struggles, they’ve had quite a bit of success away to Excelsior in recent years. Can they claim another victory here and climb the table? Three points on Friday night would move them to the dizzy heights of 13th.

Excelsior are ninth, having slipped a bit in recent games. They’ve lost three in a row, which has added to their poor defensive record. It’s safe to say their stadium isn’t exactly a fortress, they’ve won just 40% of matches there this season. They’ve won twice in nine games overall, which shows that they’re in relegation form. If they keep this losing run going, they’ll sink down to PEC’s level. If the visitors were to win here, there’d be only a point between these two in the table.

Zwolle haven’t lost an away trip to this stadium in their last three. In that time, they’ve racked up two big victories and a 2-2 draw. The latter came earlier this year, and it’s a clear indicator of where the two are, both are conceding far too many goals.

The visitors have let in 2.25 goals on the road so far, while Excelsior have scored and conceded an average of 1.4 goals a match at home. No wonder neither are getting enough points. PEC have just one win all season, while Excelsior have one win in their last four at home. The hosts have conceded in their last seven in the Eredivisie, while Zwolle have let in a goal in every game so far.

Both sides have seen plenty of goals this season. Excelsior average three goals a game, while PEC’s away games see just over three. The hosts have had 67% of their games go above 2.5 goals, while the same has happened in both of Zwolle’s last two games on the road. That’s possibly because the visitors score the majority of their goals outside of the MAC³PARK Stadion, and their awful defensive record probably helps too.

While both sides aren’t among the top scorers in Holland, they’ll have the chance to add a few to their tally here. They are among the worst defensive sides in the league, and this fixture has a habit of producing goals. Seeing as the last five meetings here have seen 24 goals, with at least three scored in each, we’re backing over 2.5 goals at 4/5 with bet365.