FC Dordrecht vs Roda JC Predictions

18^TH placed Dordrecht entertain 6^th placed Roda JC at Riwal Hoogwerkers Stadion this Friday night, and the fact the hosts are rated favourites for this encounter indicates just how poorly Roda have performed on the road of late. Robert Molenaar’s men are without a win in five on their travels following a 1-0 loss to in-form NEC last week, but they could be good value to bounce back here as Claudio Braga’s side are looking for their first victory in seven in front of their own fans.

After kicking off 2019 in strong fashion with a home victory against 2^nd placed Go Ahead Eagles (3-1) and an away draw with Sparta Rotterdam (2-2), Roda JC have undoubtedly been below par of late. Robert Molenaar’s charges have won just one of their last six games in Eerste Divisie, and head to Riwal Hoogwerkers Stadion this Friday in search of their first away success in five.

But their downturn isn’t quite drastic enough to suggest that they should be the outsiders in this fixture, when we delve into recent results and opposition a little further.

Roda failed to land a blow at NEC last week in a 1-0 defeat, but the Nijmegen outfit have really hit their stride lately and are in the midst of an eight match unbeaten spell. In the three weeks prior, Roda edged out Cambuur 1-0 in Kerkrade before earning respectable draws against 5^th placed Jong PSV in Eindhoven (2-2) and runaway leaders Twente at home (1-1).

Whilst Roda’s shocking start to February is pretty inexcusable (1-2 home defeat to Almere City, 5-1 away loss to Jong Ajax) we’re keen to focus on their most recent outings and there’s enough to suggest that the visitors can bag three points here.

Dordrecht fall well short of the opposition that Roda have faced over the past few weeks  terms of quality and they go into Friday’s match having failed to win any of their last six at home. Schappenkoppen have won just one of their last 11 at Riwal Hoogwerkers Stadion and they have lost eight out of 14 in their own back yard this term.

Braga’s side had been putting in all of their good work away from home as they racked up three straight victories on their travels against Jong AZ (0-1), Helmond Sport (1-2) and Cambuur (1-3), but even that purple patch came to an end on match day 28 as they were beaten 1-0 by Telstar in a low key affair at IJmuiden Stadion.

Factor in that Dordrecht have never beaten Roda JC in six previous meetings (D2, L4) and it becomes increasingly hard to understand how the hosts have been installed as favourites for this clash at around the 11/8 mark.

This won’t be a walk in the park for Roda JC as it’s clear that they are not at their peak at present, but we’re more than happy to get behind the visitors in this one at around the 2/1 mark. They are 12 places and 21 points better off than Dordrecht in the table, and this could just be the fixture which allows Molenaar’s side to really find their feet again as they look to establish their spot in the Play-offs.

So it’s an away win for us this Friday and we’re also tipping up a 1-2 correct score for the Kerkrade outfit.