RKC Waalwijk host FC Utrecht at the Mandemakers Stadion on Sunday in what could prove a vital game for both sides and their respective goals.
Residing in 16th on 24 points, Waalwijk occupy the Eredivisie's relegation playoff spot, but are only two points behind 15th-placed Excelsior with a game in hand.
As for Utrecht, they will hope to solidify their place in seventh as they bid to secure a Conference League playoff spot.
Match preview
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Waalwijk are winless in their last five Eredivisie matches and have picked up just three points in this period, a run that will no doubt be of concern to manager Henk Fraser, especially as his side still have to face likely champions PSV Eindhoven in one of their four remaining fixtures.
In fact, over the last 22 league games Waalwijk have won just three times, contrasting with their somewhat better start to the season when they won three of their first eight.
Waalwijk's record at home has been significantly better than away, and they have accumulated 16 points at the Mandemakers Stadion as opposed to just eight points on the road this season.
Their recent home record has seen them win twice in their last six, losing just once, and going unbeaten in their last three.
Manager Fraser will hope to build on his side's recent positive results with victory over his former side Utrecht, whom he managed briefly during the 2022-23 season.
He resigned from his position as manager of Utrecht in December 2022 after an altercation in training involving player Amin Younes, and later signed with Waalwijk in the summer of 2023. Considering his former allegiances, he will be keen to give a good representation of himself on Sunday.
During Fraser's time at Waalwijk, his team have disappointingly scored the second-fewest league goals with just 29 in 30 games, but to his credit they have the ninth-best defensive record in the division having conceded 50 goals.
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Meanwhile, though Sunday's opponents Utrecht rank just 11th for goals scored, they have still netted 17 more times than Waalwijk, while also having conceded nine fewer.
Utrecht manager Ron Jans has performed well in his role, especially considering he was appointed this season in September 2023 after a poor start to the campaign under previous boss Michael Silberbauer.
Though Jans started slow with three losses in his first four Eredivisie games, he has since lost just twice in 22 matches - a run which also includes an unbeaten spell in the league from October 23 to February 23, highlighting his side's resilience.
In Utrecht's last five games, they have accumulated 12 points, and only second-placed Feyenoord can boast a better record in this period.
As for Utrecht's away record, though they won against Heerenveen 3-2 in their most recent game on April 7, they have only won two of their last seven fixtures on the road. However, this mixed run also included challenging games against second-placed Feyenoord, third-placed Twente, and fifth-placed Ajax.
Waalwijk manager Fraser will have noted that Utrecht have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four away games while also having conceded nine times, and this will no doubt encourage the former Utrecht boss.
Team News
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For Waalwijk, they come into the weekend's game with a strong squad given that Nouri El Harmazi remains their only injury absentee.
Expect manager Fraser to field a similar side to the one that faced AZ Alkmaar in their last match, although it will be interesting to see whether striker Michiel Kramer gets the nod ahead of David Min.
Kramer is Waalwijk's top scorer with nine goals, but has only started two of their last 12 league matches, and Min did score twice against AZ in Waalwijk's most recent game.
As for Utrecht, the away side have more injury concerns to contend with, particularly in the defence and forward line.
Defenders Mike van der Hoorn, Niklas Vesterlund and Tim Handwerker are out, with Handwerker suffering a cruciate ligament tear.
Elsewhere, forwards Marouan Azarkan, Taylor Booth, Jeppe Okkels and Kevin Gadellaa are out with various injuries, and this likely means that manager Jans will not rotate much from the team that beat Go Ahead Eagles in his side's last match
RKC Waalwijk possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Lutonda, Van den Buijs, Gaari, Lelieveld; Oukili, Niemeijer; Lokesa, Seuntjens, Margaret; Min
FC Utrecht possible starting lineup:
Barkas; El Karouani, Viergever, Flamingo, Van der Maarel; Fraulo, Iqbal; Lidberg, Jensen, Toornstra; Lammers
We say: RKC Waalwijk 1-3 FC Utrecht
Given Waalwijk are capable defensively, and that manager Fraser will be keen to impress, the game at the Mandemakers Stadion could prove difficult for Utrecht.
However, Utrecht's strong form cannot be ignored, and though Waalwijk might frustrate them at times, the gap in quality could help the away side to overcome their hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
