Helmond Sport vs Almere City FC Predictions

After a 1-0 defeat away to promotion rivals Twente last Friday and a dismal KNVB Beker exit to Kozakken Boys on Tuesday, it’s certainly not been a good week for Michele Santoni’s Almere City. Schappenkoppen have slipped to 5^th in the Eerste Divisie table after holding a share of pole position three weeks ago, and they now trail leaders Go Ahead Eagles by six points. Can City hit back this Friday when they take on a Helmond Sport side who are winless in 19 matches?

How quickly the Eerste Divisie picture can change. Almere City beat NEC 1-0 at the start of October to land a fifth consecutive league victory – a result which moved them into a share of the lead at the top of the table. Now, three games later, City are 5^th and six points off the pace following a disappointing draw with Volendam and 1-0 losses against 3^rd placed Twente and new leaders Go Ahead.

It’s a run that’s clearly rocked Santoni’s side who exited the KNVB Beker with a whimper on Tuesday, and they must now pick themselves up fast to get back on track in this Friday’s clash with Helmond Sport at Lavans Stadion.

And the pressure will be really on City here, as despite their recent slump, they’ll be widely expected to see off the hosts who are now without a win in 19 games.

Last week’s 1-1 home draw with MVV was a fair result on the face of things for a club 18^th in the standings and clearly toiling, but the cloud surrounding Sport will continue to darken until they finally manage to break their duck.

Boss Rob Alflen wasn’t expected to pull down any trees in Helmond after arriving in the summer – after all the club did finish third bottom last term and have been plying their trade in the second tier for 35 consecutive seasons now.

But the arrival of a new coach does usually spark at least some temporary improvement, and it’s worrying for Sport that they’ve not been able to get over the line once this season considering they’ve already played most of the teams around them at the foot of the table.

City’s form is a definite concern here for backers as no one can wholeheartedly side with a team that’s lost three on the bounce, but looking at this season holistically, the evens about Almere at time of press rates a steal.

We think Santoni’s charges will simply have too much quality for Sport here, and their record on the road this term is useful with three wins and a draw gained from five outings.

It might be nervy at times as City try and rebuild some confidence, but we’re backing the visitors to bank a crucial three points and to win via a 1-2 score line.