Ajax is rated as favorite to win Eredivisie this season but Feyenoord looks a better pick to defend its title against its old rival.
Who do Bettors Favor?
According to the best bookmakers (and you can check out our top sportsbook reviews here) bettors make Ajax the favorite to win the Eredivisie title this season, though not by a wide margin. Ajax is rated as a +125 chance, with Feyenoord priced around +225 and PSV Eindhoven at +250. Outside the big three, AZ Alkmaar is the main challenger, at odds of +2500, ahead of FC Twente.
| Eredivisie Winner |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax | +125 | +110 |
| Feyenoord | +200 | +225 |
| PSV | +240 | +250 |
| Alkmaar | +1400 | +2500 |
| Twente | +5000 | +3300 |
| Utrecht | +10000 | +10000 |
| Arnhem | +12500 | +15000 |
OSB Eredivisie Betting Briefing
The top league in Dutch football has a history of outperforming its peers in Europe, and this season's top three in the futures market have all won the Champions League, or its forerunner, the European Cup, together with the Europa League/UEFA Cup.
The Eredivisie has received an additional berth in the European qualification process as a result of UEFA's recognition of its strength, so the team that places second this year will bypass the qualifiers and enter the Champions League Group Stage, while the third-place team will have a chance to advance via the qualification round.
Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord are the top three clubs to bet on in the Eredivisie, and between them, they have won every competition conducted since 2000 with the exception of two, which were won by AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Ajax had won three straight Eredivisie championships entering the 2017–18 campaign, but it finished in third place, a full 13 points behind leaders Feyenoord and six points behind PSV, which took second place.
OSB Eredivisie Favorites Betting
Although Ajax is the early favorite, the tightness of the betting suggests that gamblers are not totally confident in the 36-time champion's ability to recover from last season's setback.
The departure of important players Dusan Tadic and Jurrien Timber will make Maurice Steijn's job of rebuilding very difficult and while losing top players is nothing new for Ajax, this time, its main competitors are putting up a much stronger fight. As a result, Steijn will face enormous pressure right away, especially following a string of unimpressive preseason matches.
PSV had a successful campaign last time, coming second in the Eredivisie and winning the KNVB Cup, but it also has a new manager in Peter Bosz, who faces the difficult challenge of replacing Xavi Simons, a crucial player and who may take time to embed his distinctive attacking approach with this squad, which could mean a slow start and a steep learning curve for his players.
That just leaves the reigning champion Feyenoord, which has a solid chance of defending its Eredivisie title, something it hasn't done since 1962.
The club has been active in the transfer market this summer, and its manager Arne Slot has established a solid reputation as one of Europe's finest managers. De Kuip is always a tough ground to visit, which gives Feyenoord an edge over most opponents in this league and it looks a solid pick in the Eredivisie winners market.
OSB Eredivisie Betting Contenders
There are some strong contenders to break into the top three, and the fact that third place is now a ticket to the Champions League should provide extra incentive for the chasing pack.
The most significant threat to any of the top three teams whose standards dip over the next nine months is likely to be AZ Alkmaar, which has finished third, fifth, and fourth under Pascal Jansen and advanced to the semifinals of the Europa Conference League last season. This level of consistency, coupled with some shrewd young signings this summer makes it dangerous.
With Joseph Oosting as their new manager, FC Twente appears to be the team best positioned to compete with AZ for the title of "best of the rest." One of his main responsibilities will be to maximize the performance of Manfred Ugalde, the Costa Rican striker who was very productive in the last stretch of last season and has since been given a permanent contract.
Still, there is some uncertainty regarding Twente’s ability to reproduce its performance from last season, and the losses of Ramiz Zerrouki and Vaclav Cerny will be hard to compensate for, so at this point, AZ looks the best pick to make the top three.
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