De Graafschap vs Jong Utrecht Prediction & Betting Tips

Recent form for both sides

De Graafschap have taken just four points from their first seven league games this season, with defeats to Heracles (0-5), Almere City (1-4) and VVV Venlo (1-2), a narrow home loss to NAC Breda, and one win away at Emmen. Zoom out to their last 20 matches in all competitions and it's five wins, four draws and eleven losses, with 37 scored and 55 conceded - a leaky record overall.

De Graafschap: 20 completed matches; Jong Utrecht: 20 completed matches.

De Graafschap

20 matches

Win

25% 5 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

55% 11 / 20

Scored

37

Conceded

55

Difference

-18

Jong Utrecht

20 matches

Win

30% 6 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

55% 11 / 20

Scored

32

Conceded

41

Difference

-9

Jong Utrecht have seven points from nine league games. Their recent run has bounced around: a 6-1 home thumping of Jong Ajax, a 3-2 away win at NAC Breda, and a goalless draw with FC Eindhoven, but also a 1-3 home defeat to VVV Venlo and a loss at Jong AZ. Across their last 20 games in all competitions they've won six, drawn three and lost eleven, scoring 32 and shipping 41.

Neither side has managed to string together any real consistency this season.

Comparative Team Statistics: De Graafschap vs Jong Utrecht

Head-to-head record

Last season's two meetings were shared: De Graafschap won 1-0 at home in February, while Jong Utrecht won 3-2 away in December. Go further back and the head-to-head is fairly even, filled with draws and results at both ends, including a one-sided 7-0 De Graafschap win back in 2018, though that's ancient history and tells us little about either side now.

History doesn't strongly favour either team.

Where they sit in the table

De Graafschap are 20th with four points from seven games and a goal difference of minus 12. Jong Utrecht sit 17th, on seven points from nine games with a goal difference of minus six. Both clubs are clearly stuck in the lower reaches of the division, though we're only working with these two teams' numbers rather than the full table.

Players to watch

E.C. Owen has been Jong Utrecht's main source of goals, with five in seven appearances. Bjorn Menzo has also chipped in, adding three goals and two assists across nine games. For De Graafschap, J. Kania leads their scoring with four goals in seven matches and looks like their main outlet going forward.

De Graafschap:

Best scorers:

J. Kania - 4

Penalty cards:

T. Kok x 1 x 3

D. Warmerdam x 3

Jong Utrecht:

Best scorers:

E. C. Owen - 5

Bjorn Menzo - 3

Best assist providers:

Bjorn Menzo - 2

Penalty cards:

N. Dundas x 1 x 2

Viggo Plantinga x 4

On discipline, both clubs have already had a player sent off this season - T. Kok for De Graafschap and N. Dundas for Jong Utrecht - so referees haven't been shy in games involving either side.

How this one could play out

De Graafschap have shipped heavy home defeats this season, including 0-5 and 1-4 scorelines, and haven't looked settled defensively. Jong Utrecht have shown they can score in bunches away from home, netting six against Jong Ajax and three at NAC Breda, but they've also lost by two or more goals on the road more than once.

With both defences looking open, there's a reasonable chance goals arrive at both ends here, though neither team has shown enough control lately to be trusted with real confidence either way.

Goals at both ends look plausible, but without a market to test that against, it's hard to put a number on it.