Waalwijk vs Almere City FC Prediction

Form guide: Almere's early dip, Waalwijk's mixed run

Almere City's overall numbers this season are strong: 11 wins from 20 matches, with 43 goals scored and only 29 conceded. But their last five results have been shakier, with just one win in that spell and defeats at Dordrecht, MVV and De Graafschap mixed in.

Waalwijk: 20 completed matches; Almere City FC: 20 completed matches.

Waalwijk

20 matches

Win

25% 5 / 20

Draw

55% 11 / 20

Loss

20% 4 / 20

Scored

31

Conceded

24

Difference

+7

Almere City FC

20 matches

Win

55% 11 / 20

Draw

10% 2 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

41

Conceded

27

Difference

+14

Waalwijk's season has been built more on draws than wins, 11 stalemates from 20 games tells its own story. Their recent run has swung from a thumping 6-1 home win over MVV to away defeats at Roda and Jong Ajax, so consistency isn't really their thing either.

Neither side arrives with real momentum, despite Almere's better overall season.

Comparative Team Statistics: Waalwijk vs Almere City FC

Head-to-head: recent meetings favour Waalwijk

The table suggests Almere are well ahead of Waalwijk this season, but that's not how their recent meetings have gone. Of the last four competitive fixtures between them, Waalwijk have won three, including a 4-1 win at Almere's ground and a 2-0 home win.

The only blemish in that run for Waalwijk was a 2-2 draw back in March. There are older meetings stretching back further with some heavier scorelines in both directions, but they don't tell us much about either side's current form.

Recent head-to-head history offers Waalwijk some genuine encouragement despite where they sit in the table.

Standings: the table gap is narrower than it looks

Almere sit second with 16 points from eight games, while Waalwijk are down in seventh on 13 points from the same number of matches. That's only a three-point gap despite the five-place difference.

Defensively is where the two really differ. Almere have conceded just seven goals so far, Waalwijk have shipped eleven, even though both sides have scored 18.

Players to watch

Almere's threat looks fairly concentrated up front. F. Druijf has six goals in six matches, comfortably their top scorer, with E. Poku also chipping in three goals and a couple of assists.

Waalwijk:

Best assist providers:

Juan Carlos Familia-Castillo - 3

J. Nap - 3

Almere City FC:

Best scorers:

F. Druijf - 6

E. Poku - 3

Best assist providers:

F. Druijf - 3

E. Poku - 2

Waalwijk's output looks more shared out. Juan Carlos Familia-Castillo and J. Nap both have three assists in seven matches, but there's no standout scorer among the players listed.

If Almere's main man is quiet, their attack may look less dangerous than the season numbers suggest.

How this might play out

Waalwijk's habit of drawing at home and Almere's ability to score goals on the road, 43 in 20 games this season, point towards an open contest rather than a cagey one.

But Almere's recent dip in form, combined with Waalwijk's better recent head-to-head record against them, means this isn't the mismatch the league table alone would suggest.