Fresh off the back of picking up their first win of the campaign last time out, Willem II play host to PEC Zwolle on Saturday.
On the other hand, the visitors have lost each of their opening two games and will be looking to kickstart their season in Tilburg.
Match preview
© Reuters
Willem II bounced back from an opening-day defeat to Feyenoord to get the better of Vitesse in a 3-0 rout at the GelreDome on Saturday.
Goals from Kwasi Okyere Wriedt, Che Nunnely and Wesley Spieringhs helped Fred Grim's men secure an emphatic victory in Arnhem.
The Tricolores are in ninth place ahead of this weekend's contest against a side who they failed to overcome in any of last season's clashes.
Saturday's hosts picked up a point in the first meeting away from home, before they were beaten 3-1 in January's reverse fixture.
PEC Zwolle continued their unconvincing start to the season following a 2-0 loss to newly-promoted NEC at Stadion de Goffert on Friday.
First-half goals from forwards Ali Akman and Jonathan Okita condemned Art Langeler's side to a disappointing defeat in Nijmegen.
Unsurprisingly, the Blauwvingers are currently languishing in the relegation zone as things stand, ahead of bottom-club Cambuur only on goal difference.
After narrowly escaping relegation last term, Saturday's visitors will want to avoid getting drawn into another frenetic battle for survival.
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
Sam Kersten was given his marching orders in Zwolle's defeat to NEC and the defender will serve the first of a three-game suspension in this one.
Mustafa Saymak was hauled off with a groin injury less than 20 minutes into the aforementioned game and is also unavailable for the visitors.
Long-term absentee Sai Van Wermeskerken is nearing a return to action after six months out of action due to a knee problem.
Nineteen-year-old Wesley Spieringhs scored within a minute of coming off the bench for Willem II last time out and could be rewarded with a place in the XI this time around.
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Ruiter; Owusu, Jenssen, Heerkens, Kohn; Saglam, Saddiki, Spieringhs; Kohlert, Okyere Wriedt, Nunnely
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Lamprou; De Wit, Voet, Van Polen, Paal; Huiberts, Saymak, Strieder; Kastaneer, Tedic, Clement
We say: Willem II 2-1 PEC Zwolle
The home side, buoyed by last week's triumph, will be fired up as they aim to come out on top in front of their own fans. While we expect the visitors to give a good account of themselves, we are also tipping the hosts to claim all three points in what should be an enthralling affair.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Willem II win with a probability of 39.45%. A win for PEC Zwolle had a probability of 34.68% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Willem II win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.52%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.56%) and 2-0 (6.63%). The likeliest PEC Zwolle win was 0-1 (8.81%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.28%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Willem II in this match.
