Since the European Championship is behind us, many clubs have already started preparing for the new football season. That is certainly necessary, as the first competitive matches are already scheduled for the end of August. The new Eredivisie season will kick off on Friday, August 13 at 8:00 PM with promoted Go Ahead Eagles and SC Heerenveen.
Preparation for the new season
Most Dutch clubs resumed training some time ago. This may seem a bit early, but it is certainly not. Clubs want their players to be fit and in shape by mid-August for the new season. Match rhythm plays an important role in this. Therefore, during the preparation, clubs not only train but also play the necessary friendly matches. Many clubs start with matches against amateur teams. As the preparation progresses, they often play against professional clubs from within and/or outside the country. The opposition gradually increases, allowing clubs to slowly work towards the start of the new football season.
Mid-August marks the real work
Once the clubs have completed their preparation, the real work begins in mid-August. You can often deduce from the results in the friendly program which clubs are in form and where there is still (considerable) work to be done. However, a good preparation does not necessarily mean that a club will easily win the first competitive matches. It remains a snapshot. A club with poor results in preparation can very well win against a club that has gone through the friendly campaign unbeaten. That is the beauty of football.
Who will be the champion?
At the beginning of the new season, it is often a matter of swapping places among the Eredivisie clubs. One week one club is at the top, while the next week another club can occupy the top spot. Nevertheless, at the end of the season, it is often the biggest teams that compete for a top ranking. Therefore, when betting on football, you often do not get particularly high odds if you place your money on the top clubs. Nevertheless, in recent years, more and more people have been betting on the club they expect to become the champion.
