RKC vs Almere City FC Predictions

Aside from leaders Twente, there’s no team in better form right now in the Dutch second tier than RKC. Fred Grim’s side overcame a scrappy first half at Telstar last week to land an emphatic 0-3 success, and they go into this Friday’s match with Almere City in search of their sixth straight league victory. The Waalwijk outfit have a terrible recent record against Schappenkoppen, but there’s plenty to suggest that they’ll put that right at Mandemakers Stadion on match day 25.

After sinking automatic promotion challengers Den Bosch at home a fortnight ago (2-1), RKC were well fancied to get the better of strugglers Telstar at IJmuiden Stadion last Friday.

Telstar put up a good fight for the best part of an hour and limited RKC’s opportunities in front of goal, but the floodgates opened as soon as Daan Rienstra eventually broke the deadlock for Fred Grim’s charges with 30 minutes to go.

RKC soon put the contest to bed thanks to further goals from Darren Maatsen and Dylan Seys, securing Waalwijk’s fifth consecutive league triumph and their ninth overall from their last 11 outings.

Languishing just above the bottom four three months ago, RKC have now shot up to 7^th in the table and they have an excellent chance of reaching the Play-offs – either via the main standings or the Period 3 table which they co-lead with Twente.

Grim has improved his side hugely in both key departments, but particularly in attack as typified by the 13 goals that RKC have netted en route to collecting a perfect 15 points from 15.

That doesn’t bode well for  Almere City this Friday, even though the visitors have staged a mini revival of late with back to back victories posted against Roda JC (1-2) and Jong AZ (2-0).

Schappenkoppen have been woeful defensively this term with 41 goals conceded in 24 games, and they have been especially flimsy on the road with 24 shipped in 12 fixtures thus far.

Michele Santoni’s men have lost four of their last six away days (including 6-1 and 5-2 drubbings against Sparta Rotterdam and Jong PSV respectively in December) and simply don’t look like posing a threat here to an RKC team who are rapidly making Mandemakers Stadion a fortress following four wins from their last five games in Waalwijk.

One positive for City is their fine recent record against RKC after winning five of the last six meetings between the pair, but the hosts have stepped up massively since their 2-1 defeat at Yanmar Stadion in the reverse fixture, whilst 13^th placed Almere have clearly regressed having held a top five spot earlier in the campaign.

So we‘re predicting another straightforward success here for RKC, who should have too much class and potency in attack. Grim’s side have managed to cover a one goal handicap in five of their last nine wins, and we’re backing them to do so once more against City’s suspect rear guard. Three of City’s last four away defeats have been by two goals or more, and we think they’ll be on the wrong end of a 3-1 score line this Friday.