Round 26 of the 2022-23 Eredivisie season kicks off with a meeting between FC Volendam and Fortuna Sittard at the Kras Stadion on Friday evening.
Off the back of respective defeats in their last outings, the teams will both be looking to secure an immediate return to winning ways here.
Match preview
FC Volendam were beaten for the third away game running courtesy of a narrow 2-1 defeat against league leaders Feyenoord at De Kuip on Sunday.
Wim Jonk's men took a shock lead in the 12th minute through Daryl van Mieghem after which Santiago Gimenez's strike and a Damon Mirani own goal in the second half turned the match on its head.
Consequently, Het Andere Oranje remain 14th in the Eredivisie table, just three points above the relegation zone heading into this weekend's action.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit with little to choose between the teams as the most recent eight clashes since 2015 have yielded four wins apiece.
Currently on a run of five victories in six home matches leading up to Friday's contest, the hosts will be keen to continue their newly-found form in front of their fans.
Fortuna Sittard's wait for a first home triumph since January continued as they suffered a 3-0 loss against FC Twente at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion on Saturday.
Having battled hard to keep the score at 0-0, Julio Velazquez's men fell behind to Vaclav Cerny's opener midway through the second period before a quickfire double from Manfred Ugalde put the result beyond doubt.
With 29 points from their 25 league matches so far, the Fortunezen sit 11th in the league standings, two points off a top-half place and a further seven adrift of the last European spot.
In what is set to be their last involvement before the international break, Friday's visitors set out to make it four wins in four outings on enemy territory.
Team News
Xavier Mbuyamba and Gaetano Oristanio are both suspended for Volendam, with the former receiving his marching orders in the defeat to Feyenoord last time out.
Twenty-four-year-old Oskar Buur was hauled off in the second half of that aforementioned game with an injury scare, making him a doubt for Friday's affair.
Daryl van Mieghem will be aiming to deliver the goods having been directly involved in five goals in his last four matches for the home side.
Dogan Erdogan has missed three straight matches due to a back problem, and the midfielder remains out of contention for Fortuna in this one.
Oguzhan Ozyakup was absent from the visitors' last outing due to a knock, but the Turkey international could make his return to action here.
FC Volendam possible starting lineup:
Stankovic; Murkin, Mirani, Benamar, Flint, Plat; Buur, Eiting, Twigt, Van Mieghem; Veerman
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Cox, Siovas, Guth, Pinto; Bistrovic, Ferati, Duarte; Noslin, Buitink, Embalo
We say: FC Volendam 1-1 Fortuna Sittard
Volendam have been defensively fragile on home turf, and we expect them to be breached once again. Fortuna, on the other hand, have struggled for clean sheets away from home, so we are backing a share of the spoils with both sides getting on the scoresheet.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
