RL:
The big question for HBS following their comprehensive defeat by Excelsior on Thursday is whether they can bounce back with the very different challenge of the trip to Rotterdam Zuid. The niggle for Tobias Visée which led to Jaron Morgan taking over the gloves disrupted the attack and revealed a certain thinness there, but more disturbing was the failure of the batting to build a big total. Punjab’s win over Dosti again demonstrates that they can be a very effective unit when the mood takes them, but I expect HBS to show sufficient character to get back into their stride.

BdJ:
Punjab will be less of a mystery to HBS of course, having seen a bit of them in the Hoofdklasse last season, but there are indeed questions as to the Crows' strength in depth – especially in the bowling – and as suspected when Visée doesn't come off at the top of the order the pressure can tell on the rest of the batting. Punjab have strengthened appreciably since last season too with the addition of Masood and Ali, as they demonstrated at Drieburg yesterday, but HBS' defeat by an in-form Excelsior whilst understrength does little to detract from an excellent start to the season, and they will head to the Zomercomplex as solid favourites.

Hermes-DVS Schiedam vs Dosti United Amsterdam (Sportpark Harga)

RL:
‘I don’t need to run faster than the lion,’ goes the old joke. ‘I just need to run faster than you!’ Winless after four games, Hermes will know that gaining ground on other potential relegation candidates is now vital, and after Dosti’s defeat at the hands of Punjab on Thursday this is a real four-pointer. Dan ter Braak and Lokendra Bohra’s efforts against ACC weren’t enough to save the Schiedammers from another defeat, while Dosti look to be very dependent at the moment on Kohli and Dry. Dosti seem likely to be stronger overall, but this is the sort of match that Hermes have to win to have any chance of staying up.

BdJ:
Last year's runners-up have had a pretty miserable start to the season, but I'm not sure I'd be calling them relegation candidates just yet. Though Hermes' new arrivals seem to be settling in, they remain a safe bet to lose when Myburgh fails. Keeping their trump card in hand a little longer didn't come off against ACC but it's still probably a tactic worth persisting with, as the rest of the order will need to take more responsibility if they are to lift themselves off the bottom of the table. Dosti's top order have had similar difficulties, relying on Dry and Kohli to save their blushes, but at least showed yesterday that they have a tail more than capable of wagging – albeit in a losing cause.

VRA Amsterdam vs ACC (Amstelveen)

RL:
Amsterdam derbies are always enthralling, and this one offers the prospect of a clash between the four stars who have carried VRA into second spot and a young Zulfiqar-based ACC in which skipper Saqib is evidently relishing his new role. The Gunning-Klaassen spearhead was blunted by HCC on Thursday, but with Szwarczynski and Borren in supreme form VRA are once again a force to be reckoned with. ACC cannot be discounted, but they will need to be at their best to get on top of a buoyant home side.

BdJ:
The presence of veterans Szwarczynski, Borren and Raja in the middle order allows VRA to play a similar gambit to HBS with their top order, with less risk if it fails to come off. Lees and extent Cooper have failed to deliver thus far, but instructing them to go hard from the first is a calculated throw of the dice that's bound to come off eventually, and with a good deck and hay-making weather expected, tomorrow may just be the day.

VOC Rotterdam vs HCC (Hazelaarweg)

RL:
VOC’s batting failures are developing into a real issue for the Rotterdam club, while HCC will have been seriously stung by VRA’s comeback on Thursday and will be looking to make amends by taking the points back from Hazelaarweg. Jonathan Vandiar is obviously their trump card, but the contributions of Tonny Staal, Hidde Overdijk and the seam attack should not be underestimated. VOC need Max O’Dowd to become more of a force than he has been so far, but overall the batsmen need to start building competitive totals if the Rotterdammers are not to find themselves again at the wrong end of the table.

BdJ:
On paper VOC looked serious title-contenders at the start of the season, but despite boasting three current Dutch internationals the Rotterdammers find themselves hanging around the bottom of the table again. Nonetheless they remain a side replete with potential match-winners and a solid home record against HCC. Vandiar remains a formidable obstacle (at least while at the striker's end) but one feels VOC are just one wicket and a good team-talk away from turning their season around. If only for the sake of a smidgen of diversity in our predictions, I'm going to back them to do just that tomorrow.

Quick Haag vs Excelsior ’20 Schiedam (Nieuw Hanenburg)

RL:
No other batting line-up comes close to matching the consistency of Excelsior’s top four, and with five seamers and Lorenzo Ingram’s left-arm spin the champions have a side which is stronger than it was a year ago. Nieuw Hanenburg is, of course, a different proposition from the grounds they’ve played on so far this season, but the Schiedammers have an aggressive style which can adapt well to those conditions. And Quick, although they were untroubled in beating VOC on Thursday and will be relieved to have Wesley Barresi in commanding form, have yet to find the consistency they will need if they are to spring a surprise here.

BdJ:
A tougher call than it looks on paper, this. Despite Quick's sea-saw start to the season the lurking menace of Bredenkamp and Barresi may yet see them break Excelsior's streak. The defending champions have not really had to deal with serious scoreboard pressure yet this season, and if there's any real weakness to be found in the side it's in their uncomfortably long tail. Nonetheless it's questionable whether Quick have the firepower to get through the top order and expose it, and Excelsior travel to the Hague with momentum behind them.

Form Guide: [Note: These tables show the results of this fixture over the past ten seasons. ‘W’ means a win for the home side, ‘L’ a defeat, ‘T’ a tie, ‘N’ no result. Matches played on the opponent’s ground or a neutral venue are shown in square brackets.]

Rod Lyall’s predictions: HBS, Dosti, VRA, HCC, Excelsior.

Bertus de Jong’s predictions: HBS, Dosti, VRA, VOC, Excelsior.