Feyenoord vs Zorya predictions, betting tips & match preview

Feyenoord have made an incredible start in the Eredivisie, and they’ll be aiming to back that up with European success. They’re up against group minnows Zorya Luhansk this week, with the Ukrainian side proving to be a difficult nut to crack in this group. Could they cause a shock at Stadion Feijenoord?

If you look at Zorya’s opening couple of matches in this competition, they aren’t the walkovers that some might have assumed. They’ve drew one and lost one, conceding two goals in the process. Their 1-0 defeat away to Manchester United showed how resilient they are, as the Red Devils needed a strike from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to take the win.

It should be surprising, as Zorya are a pretty solid side. They’ve spent most of the season as the main challengers to Shakhtar Donetsk, thanks to a strong defensive record. They’ve conceded just 0.73 goals per game so far, one of the best records in the league. No wonder they’re thriving when it comes to frustrating bigger sides. They did suffer a 1-0 defeat away to Shakhtar recently, but Zorya are still pushing for more European football next term.

The Ukrainians’ only worry is their poor scoring form. Their games tend to be tight affairs, their last four have all been under 2.5 goals. They’ve scored 0.6 goals per game domestically, while they’ve hit 0.5 goals a game in the Europa League group stages.  They’re going to find scoring a problem here, as they’re up against one of the strongest defences in this competition.

Feyenoord top the table in Holland having won every game, and they’re doing it in style. Not only are they scoring goals, but they’ve been keeping a lot of clean sheets. While they’ve scored in every game bar one in all competitions, just 27% of their games have seen both teams score. The hosts have won 67% of their league games this season to nil.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has his side conceding just 0.33 goals a game on average, while they won their last European game here 1-0 against Manchester United. They’ve conceded from just 3% of the shots they’ve faced in this competition so far. Zorya are converting just 5% of their chances in Europe, and they had just two shots on target away to Manchester United.

With Feyenoord looking great at the back, we’re tipping a home win to nil for the Dutch league leaders. Given their form, they should have little trouble keeping out a Zorya side who are struggling for goals. A home win to nil is priced at 6/4 with bet365.