PEC Zwolle vs Utrecht Predictions

• Both teams scored and over 2.5 goals were produced in 5 of the last 7 meetings between these two clubs.
• Both teams scored and over 2.5 goals were produced in 3 of Zwolle’s last 5 matches.
• Both teams scored and over 2.5 goals were produced in 3 of Utrecht’s last 5 matches.
• Utrecht have won 4 of their last six matches in all competitions while Zwolle have lost 5 of their last 6.

The form guide favours the visitors on Friday

Zwolle will be hoping to make a positive start to the new year after losing their last two games of 2019 but failed to win any of their two winter break friendlies against Belgian sides Standard Liege and Zulte-Waregem. Utrecht will also be aiming to make a return to winning ways after narrowly losing 2-1 at home to Feyenoord before Christmas and their 4-3 friendly win against Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen suggests they are in with an excellent chance of securing all three points on Friday night.

This is a fixture that has so often of late produced plenty of goals, with five of the pairs’ last seven encounters since the end of 2016 producing over 2.5 goals and seeing both teams score, sop you can understand why we have backed the same outcome for Friday’s clash. Three of Zwolle’s and three of Utrecht’s last six competitive and non-competitive matches have also seen both teams score and over 2.5 goals, so the recent performances of both clubs add further weight to our prediction for Friday’s game.

Zwolle have lost four times at home this season while Utrecht have won four times on the road and with the visitors winning four of their last six matches and Zwolle losing five of theirs it’s easy to see why we have backed a Utrecht victory this Friday. The hosts only average 1.25 points per home game which is below the league average of 1.73 points, while Utrecht average 1.56 points per away game which is far above the Eredivisie average of 1.08 points.

Utrecht have performed better on the road than their hosts have in their own backyard

The hosts certainly carry a goal threat at home, averaging 2.13 goals per game, but they concede an average of 2.50 goals in their own backyard which is why we have backed Utrecht to claim a 3-1 win. Zwolle’s home games produce an average of 4.63 total goals while Utrecht’s away games produce an average of 3.22 total goals, and we have backed a total of four goals to be scored in Friday’s clash. Over 2.5 goals have been scored in all of Zwolle’s home games as well as in 67% of Utrecht’s away matches, while Both teams have scored in 75% of the hosts’ home games and 78% of the visitors’ matches on the road, all of which bodes well for our prediction for Friday’s head to head.

Exactly four goals have been scored in an astonishing 62% of Zwolle’s home games this season while 33% of Utrecht’s away games have also featured that number of goals. A majority of Zwolle’s defeats this season (9) had a margin of 2 goals or more while a majority of Utrecht’s wins this campaign (7) have been obtained with a margin of 2 goals or more, which makes our prediction for a 3-1 final scoreline in favour of the visitors look even more realistic.

We’re confident that both teams will score and over 2.5 goals will be produced in Friday’s match and we have predicted a final scoreline of 3-1 in favour of the visitors. Utrecht head into the match as the clear form favourites and have won five of their last seven matches against Zwolle. The hosts have underperformed once again this season and look set for another relegation battle while Utrecht are on the right path to challenge for a European place just as they did in the last campaign.