FC Oss vs RKC Predictions

Oss dropped off the automatic promotion pace after picking up just a single point from games against Roda JC (0-5), Jong Ajax (1-0) and Helmond Sport (1-1) on the run up to Christmas, but Klaas Wels’ side did at least sign off 2018 on a positive note with a battling 0-1 win at 19^th placed Dordrecht.  They’ll be out to reduce the six point gap between themselves and league leaders Den Bosch when they host RKC this weekend, and a victory is absolutely paramount if they are to stay in touch with a showdown against The Blue White Dragons looming next week.

Oss will have to solely concentrate on this fixture though to get back up and running and RKC can’t be underestimated following an improved sequence of results at the end of last year.

Fred Grim’s side had been languishing down in the bottom three for the majority of the campaign, but they ended 2018 in 14^th place thanks to four victories from their last six.

Waalwijk have beaten Helmond Sport (0-2), NEC (1-0), MVV (3-1) and FC Eindhoven (1-3) during that period of games, and that has to go down as a fantastic achievement for the club after losing eight of their first 13 matches.

A Play-off spot may be a step too far for RKC this term with five points separating them from the top nine, but they’ll certainly be looking up rather than down now and a win here over 5^th placed Oss would really put them in contention with some winnable fixtures to come over the next month or so against the likes of Jong Utrecht and Telstar.

Nonetheless, RKC will still have to step up markedly on their decent form of late to get a result here, assuming that the best version of Oss turns up at Frans Heesen Stadion this Sunday.

As December’s 0-5 mauling at the hands of Roda suggests, the hosts do tend to throw in the odd wobbler and they’ve built up a bit of a reputation this term for beating the top teams and slipping up against the sides they’re expected to beat.

That was the case in October’s reverse fixture in Waalwijk which ended 0-0  despite the fact that RKC were really toiling at that stage, yet Oss have beaten both 2^nd placed Go Ahead (0-1) and 4^th placed Twente (1-2) this term whilst also holding 3^rd placed Sparta Rotterdam to a 0-0 draw.

That sort of form justifies Oss’ status as favourites here at a shade of odds-on, and we expect them to come out firing following the Christmas break, especially after ending the year on a positive note. Huseyin Dogan has been instrumental for the hosts so far this term with 13 goals, and the Turkish born striker will be confident of adding to that tally here.

RKC have still lost six of their nine away matches this season and three of their last five on the road despite their overall upturn in results, and we think the hosts are well priced to land the spoils with 3-1 our correct score prediction.