| Twente - Ajax 10. Groning. - Nijmegen 11. |  |
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6.5 : Ajax have reached the Dutch play-off final for a UEFA Champions League qualifying round place for the third year running after a 3-1 home victory over 10-man Heerenveen. Ajax cruised to a 5-1 aggregate win and their place in a final to be played over two legs against Twente Enschede on May 10 and 18. Twente advanced by eliminating Breda 8-1 on aggregate.
The winners will go into the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, while the losers will play in the UEFA Cup. Heerenveen will now face another two-legged playoff against Breda for a place in the UEFA Cup. Champions PSV Eindhoven already have secured one of the Netherlands' two UEFA Champions League berth.
Ajax 29.4 : Ajax have completed the signing of Argentinian striker Dario Cvitanich on a five-year contract. The 23-year-old arrives in Amsterdam on the advice of Banfield coach and former Feyenoord player Pablo Sanchez for a reported €6.4m fee. Cvitanich, who also holds a Croatian passport, scored 31 goals in 93 appearances for Banfield after making his debut in October 2003, including seven in ten so far this season.
Alkmaar 24.4 : AZ Alkmaar have announced the signing of defender Gill Swerts on a free transfer from league rivals Vitesse. The Belgian international, who was set to be out of contract this summer, has agreed a four-year deal with Alkmaar. "After losing Gretar Steinsson to Bolton Wanderers, Swerts, 25, is the right player to play right-back at AZ," said Alkmaar technical director Marcel Brands.
PSV 20.4 : PSV Eindhoven clinched their fourth Dutch league title in a row with a 1-0 win at Vitesse Arnhem. PSV ended the campaign with 72 points, three ahead of rivals Ajax Amsterdam, who finished second in the standings despite beating Heracles 5-1. It was the second year running the title race had come down to a nerve-racking final day with PSV triumphant again to secure a place in the next season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
Ajax, along with Breda, Twente and Heerenveen, meet in playoffs to decide who gets the Netherlands' remaining UEFA Champions League berth. Heerenveen cruised past Excelsior 5-0 to edge out Feyenoord on goal difference. So, Feyenoord will feature in another playoff series, hoping to clinch three of the available UEFA Cup spots. Excelsior were relegated, while Venlo and De Graafschap now face the promotion and relegation play-offs against teams from the second tier.
Alkmaar 19.4 : Louis van Gaal will stay on as coach of AZ Alkmaar next season after reversing an initial decision to step down in the summer. He looked set to leave at the end of the current campaign, following a mutual agreement with the board in March. That move came as a reaction to disappointing results, but after deliberation with the playing staff, who wanted Van Gaal to stay, it was decided to postpone the final decision. Now, with his team 12th in the standings, the 56-year-old has opted to honour the contract keeping him at the club until 2010.
Feyenord 17.4 : Feyenoord have announced the signing of Moroccan Under-21 midfielder Karim El Ahmadi from league rivals Twente. El Ahmadi, a product of Twente's youth system, made his first-team debut in March 2004 and has become a regular since. He join Feyenoord in the summer on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
Twente 15.4 : Vitesse midfielder Theo Janssen has agreed to join Twente on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. The 26-year-old has been with the Arnhem side since he was a child, save for a spell on loan with Belgian side Genk in the 2003/04 season. Janssen will move to Twente at the end of the campaign.
Ajax 12.4 : Former Netherlands striker Dennis Bergkamp is set to return at Ajax after Marco van Basten invited the 38-year-old to start a coaching apprenticeship. "I called Dennis a few weeks ago, because I wanted to know how he was doing and if he would want to do something for Ajax, in whatever capacity," Van Basten said. "It is important to work with as much quality as possible with Ajax and it is obvious that Dennis has qualities. In our conversation, Dennis said that he would come to the Netherlands to take the coaching course. Part of that course is that the participants enter a traineeship. I offered him a trainee post and he was very interested."
| Nijmegen Ajax Twente PSV Alkmaar Willem II Sparta Feyenord Heerenv. Utrecht Groning. Excelsior Vitese Venlo Roda Breda DeGraaf. Heracles |  |
| Ajax PSV Twente Feyenord Nijmegen Heerenv. Groning. Roda Alkmaar Utrecht Breda Vitese Sparta Willem II Heracles Excelsior Venlo DeGraaf. |  |
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| Breda Ajax PSV Heerenv. Twente Nijmegen Groning. Feyenord Utrecht Roda Vitese DeGraaf. Alkmaar Venlo Heracles Willem II Excelsior Sparta |  |
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| Ajax PSV Twente Heerenv. Breda Feyenord Nijmegen Groning. Roda Utrecht Vitese Alkmaar Sparta Heracles Willem II DeGraaf. Venlo Excelsior |  |
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| # | team | points | g.dif. | win-draw-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSV | 72 | 41 | 21-9-4 (34) |
| 2 | Ajax | 69 | 49 | 20-9-5 (34) |
| 3 | Breda | 63 | 8 | 19-6-9 (34) |
| 4 | Twente | 62 | 20 | 17-11-6 (34) |
| 5 | Heerenv. | 60 | 40 | 18-6-10 (34) |
| 6 | Feyenord | 60 | 23 | 18-6-10 (34) |
| 7 | Groning. | 51 | -1 | 15-6-13 (34) |
| 8 | Nijmegen | 49 | -1 | 14-7-13 (34) |
| 9 | Roda | 47 | 0 | 12-11-11 (34) |
| 10 | Utrecht | 46 | 4 | 13-7-14 (34) |
| 11 | Alkmaar | 43 | -5 | 11-10-13 (34) |
| 12 | Vitese | 43 | -9 | 12-7-15 (34) |
| 13 | Sparta | 34 | -24 | 9-7-18 (34) |
| 14 | Heracles | 32 | -30 | 8-8-18 (34) |
| 15 | Willem II | 31 | -9 | 8-7-19 (34) |
| 16 | DeGraaf. | 30 | -31 | 7-9-18 (34) |
| 17 | Venlo | 29 | -32 | 7-8-19 (34) |
| 18 | Excelsior | 27 | -43 | 7-6-21 (34) |
last results
| 8.5 | Heerenv. - Breda | 2 : 0 |
| 8.5 | Nijmegen - Groning. | 1 : 0 |
| 5.5 | Ajax - Heerenv. | 3 : 1 |
| 4.5 | Nijmegen - Roda | 2 : 0 |
| 4.5 | Groning. - Utrecht | 3 : 1 |
| 3.5 | Breda - Twente | 1 : 5 |
| 1.5 | Heerenv. - Ajax | 1 : 2 |
| 1.5 | Utrecht - Groning. | 2 : 2 |
| 1.5 | Roda - Nijmegen | 0 : 1 |
home win - draw - away win (1-x-2)
Dutch First Division : 47% - 22% - 30%
League format : Soccer / Football : Netherlands : First Division 2007/2008
There are two professional football leagues in the Netherlands, the First Division (Eredivisie) and the Second Division (Eerste or Gouden Gids Divisie). The Dutch First Division consists of 18 teams. Each team faces every other team twice during the season, once at home and once away. At the end of the campaign, the first placed team in the Dutch First Division automatically advances to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, while the runner-up plays the qualifying rounds to enter the competition. The third, fourth and fifth placed teams are qualified for the UEFA Cup, together with the Dutch Cup winner.
At the foot of the table, only the 18th placed team is automatically relegated to the Second Division. This team will be replaced by the Second Division champion. The 16th and 17th-place clubs in the First Division have to play promotion/relegation playoff (Nacompetitie) that includes six high-placed teams from the Second Division. There are two pools containing four teams. Each group has one First Division club and three teams from the Second Division. In both playoff groups, each club plays each other home and away. The group winners qualify for to the First Division, with the other six teams going to the Dutch Second Division.
Dutch First Division pages
Dutch First Division statistics, news and predictionsDutch First Division standings
Dutch First Division transfers
Season 2007/2008 preview - key players, 2007 standings