While Heerenveen and Fortuna Sittard are separated by two places in the Eredivisie table, both sides are in downbeat form entering Saturday's gameweek 21 clash at Abe Lenstra Stadion.
Notwithstanding, the 10th-placed hosts, winless in back-to-back games under Robin van Persie, could leapfrog their eighth-placed opponents, whose sequence of defeats extended to three after Sunday's 4-1 hammering by Zwolle.
Match preview
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Heerenveen have had a decent time under Van Persie's management, even if the team's current standing is only a place higher than last term's 11th-placed finish.
Having overcome a challenging start to the season, where the Super Frisians lost three of their opening Eredivisie games and five of the first 10 (three wins), an identical tally of defeats in the last 10 is mitigated by De Superfriezen securing four triumphs under the former Netherlands international.
However, consecutive defeats for the second time this term against Ajax and Groningen have dampened the mood in Heerenveen in the last fortnight despite clinching a 4-2 success at NAC Breda to start the year.
That victory was the Super Frisians' third triumph in four top-flight games, including a 1-0 win over table-topping PSV, but two losses on the trot have seen them slide to 10th, now looking over their shoulder with NEC, Willem II and Zwolle a point adrift in the standings.
Nevertheless, snapping their losing streak by defeating Saturday's opponents will take Van Persie's men above this weekend's visiting club, a feasible outcome given Heerenveen's commendable results at Abe Lenstra Stadion until Ajax's 2-0 success ended De Superfriezen's eight-match undefeated home sequence (five wins).
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Fortuna will be motivated to inflict consecutive home losses on Heerenveen to end their three-match sequence of defeats and prevent this weekend's hosts from leapfrogging them in the standings.
While FSC were not defensively astute before the ongoing defeats, Danny Buijs's side could outscore the opposition, evidenced by a 3-2 win over RKC Waalwijk and the 5-2 success at Utrecht to end 2024.
Since the turn of the year, though, Fortunezen have conceded three without reply in the home loss to Go Ahead Eagles and four each in 4-1 disappointments against NEC and Zwolle.
That instantly highlights the nature of Buijs's problems, whose team have conceded 11 goals in 2025 — worse than every team in the Eredivisie.
It will be fascinating to see if the side with the worst goal difference in the top flight this year turn the tide as they yearn to fix a leaky rearguard and find solutions in the attacking third, with dropped points possibly seeing the side occupying the final European qualifying slot lose eighth place given the closeness of the teams around them: NAC Breda are level on 25 points, Heerenveen are a point behind and the trio of NEC, Willem II and Zwolle have 23 points.
Team News
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Reserve goalkeeper Andries Noppert has been uninvolved since mid-January, and the shot-stopper will be assessed before Saturday; the trio of Denzel Hall, Ion Nicolaescu and Pawel Bochniewicz could join the 30-year-old shot-stopper on the sidelines.
With five-goal forward Nicolaescu potentially absent, Van Persie's side will rely on Jacob Trenskow to come up trumps this weekend, aiming to add to his five Eredivisie strikes.
While Trenskow can do damage with goals and assists — he has eight direct involvements preceding goals — Mats Kohlert's forward forays from left-back could be pivotal to Saturday's outcome, with the defender providing four league assists this term.
Mitchell Dijks is missing for Fortuna through suspension after his sending-off following two yellows against Zwolle, while Loreintz Rosier will also serve a ban after picking his fifth yellow in the 4-1 loss.
Even though Ezequiel Bullaude was back on the bench for the first time this year against Zwolle, long-term absentees Kaj Sierhuis and Onur Demir are not expected to feature this weekend; however, Mattijs Branderhorst, absent since January 10, will be assessed before round 21's fixture.
Kristoffer Peterson netted in the reverse fixture, in which FSC claimed a 3-0 win, and the wide forward aims to add to his five league strikes having not found the net since mid-December.
Heerenveen possible starting lineup:
Hart; Braude, Kersten, Hopland, Kohlert; Van Ee, Linday; Jahanbakhsh, Smans, Trenskow; Rallis
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Koopmans; Pinto, Adewoye, Guth, Dahlhaus; Bastien, Fosso; Aiko, Halilovic, Peterson; Cruz
We say: Heerenveen 2-1 Fortuna Sittard
Despite Heerenveen's admirable home form under Van Persie, they have scored more than two goals on their turf only against NAC Breda (4-0) in late August.
The hosts are backed to exploit Fortuna's ropey rearguard, though the Super Frisians are not expected to run away with the game.
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