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Go Ahead without top scorer, De Graafschap dreaming of last season's outcome

The Go Ahead Eagles will be without De Kogen, who scored 26 goals this season. That will be a big handicap for the home team, while De Graafschap believe in eliminating the same opponent they beat last season to get a promotion

Just like last season, the Eagles and De Graafschap meet in a two-legged meeting to decide which one will play the top Dutch division next season and which team will compete in the second division.

The only difference is, the Eagles were top division team last season while De Graafschap looked for promotion from the second league. They won each game 1-0 to earn that promotion, which means the Eagles will not look to get back at them. The spirits are high on the team after they're eliminated the favorites from Venlo with a 1-0 win home and a 2-2 draw away.

Go Ahead base their tactics around tough defense and good transition, which is why their main goal will be not conceding goals and then attempting to win.

That plan was followed to the letter against Venlo but things could be more difficult in the meetings with De Graafschap, especially since coach De Koning cannot count on his by far best player and top scorer De Kogel (out with a suspension). As he scored 26 goals this season, the home team will clearly miss him a lot. 

- We weren't the favorites against Venlo but we still played two great games and reached this final. We are ready for the battle. I think it will be a tough and close match - coach De Koning said. Forward Maatsen and midfielder Duits are questionable but if possible, they will play because this game is far too important to be missed for anything other than severe injuries. 

- Our fans have once again gave us great support against Venlo and I expect them to be our player 12 again. We'll try and get any kind of an advantage ahead of the second leg. Even a 1-0 lead, which is what we had against Venlo, would make us happy - De Koning said. He announced a more defense-oriented 4-2-3-1 formation with the tall Ten Den as the striker. He mostly came on from the bench this season and scored 5 goals in 23 games. 

De Graafshcap managed to keep the fine form from the final part of the championship going into this playoff. They eliminated second-tier Maastricht easily in the semifinals (1-0, 2-1). 

Vreman's team controlled the game in both first and the second leg. They could have won even more convincingly had there been more efficiency on their part. But, that wasn't necessary. What is necessary, though, is having enough power for two meetings with Go Ahead Eagles. 

- We are to play two tough games. They will not let us take anything for free, especially at their stadium. We need to get everything through our game - De Graafschap coach Vreman said. He is without the offensive midfielder Driver and forward El Jebli when it comes to important players. Top scorer Vermeij and center forward Parzyszek struggled with injuries too but they should be there today. All the other players who are on the injury list have been there for a while now. 

- Focus and dedication to the game have to at the top level because the home team will go aggressively and do anything for the win. Our goal is to stop them and try and score at least a goal - visiting coach Vreman said. His formation will have two strikers (4-2-3-2). We have to note that 7 of his players need to be careful about not getting booked today. Yellow cards in this game would see them miss the second leg on Sunday. 

Neighbors and old acquaintances are now to meet in the final of this playoff to decide which team gets a promotion to top division, just like last season.
De Graafschap won each game 1-0 last season to get promoted. They now want to stay there after doing well in the second part of the season (had only 5 points from the first part of the season). The is the final first leg game, the stakes are high and the game styles of these teams suggest that this will be a tough battle with scarce goal attempts. The home team should look to win by at least one goal but their top scorer De Kogel is out with a suspension, which is a big problems for their offensive plans. They don't have another player close to his quality and that is why they're expected to focus on not conceding any goals. That would give them a chance to get through in the second leg if they score in it and if this finished as a goalless draw.
Trying to finish a game as a goalless draw is tough but Go Ahead had third best defense in the second league. They do not leave any room for the rivals and know how to defend in any situation. De Graafschap aren't very powerful offensively. We don't know what condition their top two players are in. They might not even play or start on the bench, while the home team have no need to rush into anything. They would love to score here but the important thing is not to lose. A more defense-oriented tactics is to be expected here.
Besides, we saw all of that a year ago when things were pretty similar ahead of the first leg. A lot of players from those games will play today. Attractive football is not really expected. But a tactical war, which should finish with less than 3 goals in total, is.