Following a maiden victory of the term last weekend, RKC Waalwijk will be aiming to make it back-to-back victories when they welcome high-flying FC Twente to Mandemakers Stadion on Sunday afternoon in the Eredivisie.
The hosts lifted themselves off the bottom of the standings with a hard-earned maximum at Vitesse, while the Tukkers extended their winning run by comfortably seeing off Ajax last weekend.
Match preview
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Following four straight defeats at the start of the 2023-24 Eredivisie term, grumbles of discontent towards manager Henk Fraser were audible from the stands of the Mandemakers Stadion, with RKC Waalwijk dismantled by PSV Eindhoven just before the international break.
A response was required from RKC during their away trip to Vitesse last weekend, and Fraser's men produced their first maximum of the season, with goals either side of the half-time interval from Yassin Oukili and Richonell Margaret making sure of the points at the GelreDome in Arnhem.
After conceding a mammoth 13 goals in their opening quartet of league fixtures, former Vitesse boss Fraser changed to a central-defensive partnership of Dario van den Buijs and Shawn Adewoye for the win last Saturday, helping Etienne Vaessen keep his first clean sheet of the campaign.
Three points on their travels last time out has lifted RKC to 16th in the Eredivisie standings having previously sat at the foot of the table, with the aim to climb up the rankings and hopefully improve on a ninth-placed finish in the Dutch top flight last term.
Despite the general atmosphere around the Mandemakers Stadion not being the best after a concerning start, there is real excitement about the potential of Serbian attacker Filip Stevanovic after the 20-year-old made his debut in the win last time out, with the Manchester City loanee plotting his rise to first-team stardom at the Etihad.
FC Twente provided the shock result of round five in the Eredivisie last weekend by beating perennial champions Ajax at De Grolsch Veste on Sunday, with strikes from Daan Rots, Sem Steijn and Naci Unuvar allowing the hosts to maintain their 100% record in domestic matches.
Many supporters of the Enschede-based club were shocked at how easily their men carved through Maurice Steijn's out-of-form Ajax, with some claiming that top-flight newcomers Almere City were a tougher assignment during Twente's season opener on August 12.
Sitting third in the league standings with a maximum collection of points from their first four contests, the Tukkers fall behind PSV and AZ Alkmaar only due to their inferior goal difference, with the early signs pointing towards a potential title charge this term against the likes of current champions Feyenoord.
The only disappointing moment of Twente's start to the term was their exit from the Europa Conference League at the hands of Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the playoff round - a 5-1 thrashing in Istanbul on August 24 gave the Dutch side little chance of making a comeback in the reverse fixture a week later.
Joseph Oosting will take his side to face his former employers this weekend, with the 51-year-old leaving the Mandemakers Stadion in June to link up with Twente as they aim to win their first league title since their infamous 2009-10 campaign, in which they pipped Ajax to the Dutch crown by a single point.
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Team News
RKC Waalwijk are expected to name a similar side to the one which earned a brilliant win at Vitesse last time out, meaning captain Michiel Kramer will be given the opportunity to add to his two Eredivisie goals so far this term, with both of those strikes coming from the penalty spot.
Goalscorer Oukili delivered a stellar performance to help his team to a maiden victory of the season, and the 22-year-old is set to play alongside Curacao international Godfried Roemeratoe in the hosts' engine room once again.
Jurien Gaari is set to continue on the bench after being replaced at centre-back for the success last time out, with Fraser unlikely to reintroduce the defender after his men kept their first clean sheet of the campaign last weekend.
FC Twente are struggling with injuries in full-back positions at the start of this term, with left-back Gijs Smal still a doubt - the 26-year-old has not featured since the Europa Conference League clash with Hammarby back in August.
Joshua Brenet has been a stalwart at right-back since making the switch from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in January 2022, but the former PSV man is currently sidelined due to a knock suffered in the win over PEC Zwolle.
Costa Rica international Manfred Ugalde has been a tireless worker at the front of the Twente attack during the opening weeks of the campaign, and the 21-year-old will be hoping to grab his first goal of the term after assisting twice in four matches so far.
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Lelieveld, Adewoye, Van den Buijs, Meijers; Oukili, Roemeratoe, Cleonise, Niemeijer, Bakkali; Kramer
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Sampsted, Hilgers, Propper, Regeer; Kjolo, Sadilek; Rots, Steijn, Vlap; Ugalde
We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-3 FC Twente
Waalwijk will be slightly more confident heading into this clash after a much-needed win at Vitesse last weekend, however the visit of high-flying Twente is set to be a much harder assignment.
The Tukkers are fresh from dispatching the country's most-decorated club and look ready to seriously challenge at the top of the Eredivisie standings this term, and we are expecting Oosting's men to maintain their 100% record on Sunday afternoon.
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Top tip
Carter White
