Preview: FC Volendam vs Fortuna Sittard - prediction, team news, lineups

FC Volendam will be looking to make it three home wins on the bounce when they go head-to-head with Fortuna Sittard at the Kras Stadion in round 27 of the Eredivisie on Saturday.

Having won each of the last three meetings between the two teams, Fortuna will head into the weekend looking to extend their three-year streak against the home side and move within two points of the coveted top-eight places.

Match preview

Volendam’s woes on the road were highlighted once again last Sunday as they suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat against NEC Nijmegen when the two sides squared off at the Stadion de Goffert.

Noe Lebreton netted the opener and set up Basar Onal’s 47th-minute strike in an eye-catching display in front of the home fans before Sami Ouaissa put the icing on the cake with a well-worked team goal in the 63rd minute.

With that result, Volendam have now lost all but one of their last 10 Eredivisie away games since the start of September and have managed the second-fewest point tally on the road, having picked up just five points from 13 matches so far — only Heracles (4) have fewer.

With home comfort awaiting, Rick Kruys will be confident of a reaction from his side this weekend, having gone unbeaten in five of their last six matches at the Kras Stadion, claiming one draw and four wins, including consecutive victories over PSV Eindhoven and Groningen in their most recent two games.

In fairness, Volendam’s survival hopes have largely been sustained by results on home turf, as they sit 14th in the Eredivisie standings with 27 points from 26 matches, three points above 16th-placed Telstar in the relegation playoff spot.

On the other hand, Fortuna Sittard were sent crashing back to earth in their push for an European qualifying playoff spot last Sunday when they fell to a 4-1 hammering against Telstar at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion.

Goals from Patrick Brouwer and Nokkvi Porisson inside the opening 10 minutes put Telstar on course for consecutive wins for the first time this season, and after Kaj Sierhuis pulled one back for the hosts in the 22nd minute, Brouwer’s second of the game in the 50th minute and Danny Bakker’s 65th-minute strike saw the visitors ease to all three points.

Prior to that, Fortuna Sittard picked up back-to-back victories for the first time this season, snapping a three-game winless run courtesy of a 2-1 home victory over Excelsior on February 20, eight days before seeing off Nijmegen 3-2 at the Stadion de Goffert.

Having missed out on the coveted top-nine places by just two points last season, Danny Buijs’s men have blown hot and cold this term, losing 12 and claiming nine draws to sit 11th in the league table with 32 points from 26 games, five points off eighth-placed Heerenveen in the final playoff spot.

Fortuna Sittard will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways this weekend, when they take on an opposing side who have lost each of their most recent three encounters, conceding five goals and scoring just once since a 2-1 victory in March 2023.

FC Volendam Eredivisie form:

FC Volendam form (all competitions):

Fortuna Sittard Eredivisie form:

Team News

Volendam will take to the pitch without several players down the spine of the team, as the Dutch trio of Gibson Yah (knee), Henk Veerman (ankle) and Nordin Bukala (muscle) continue their spells on the sidelines.

Benjamin Pauwels and 33-year-old midfielder Brandley Kuwas both missed the game against Nijmegen through muscle and arm injuries respectively and are also out of contention for this weekend’s hosts.

Belgian forward Benjamin Descotte has been ruled out since sustaining a severe hamstring problem against Nijmegen back in December and the 22-year-old will also play no part in Saturday’s matchup.

Fortuna Sittard have their fair share of injury concerns, as the likes of Ramazan Bayram (knee), Justin Lonwijk (muscle) and defender Daley Sinkgraven (knee) have all been sidelined.

Veteran goalkeeper Mattijs Branderhorst has missed each of the last five matches since coming off injured back in February, meaning Luuk Koopmans should get the nod between the sticks once again.

FC Volendam possible starting lineup:

Oevelen; Ugwu, Amevor, Verschuren, Leliendal; Van Cruijsen, Kokcu, Kwakman; Ould-Chikh, Bacuna, Oehlers

Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:

Koopmans; Pinto, Marquez, Hubner, Dahlhaus; Brittijn, Michut; Ihattaren, Duijvestijn, Limnios; Sierhuis

We say: FC Volendam 2-1 Fortuna Sittard

Volendam and Fortuna Sittard have struggled for consistency since the turn of the year and will both be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at the Kras Stadion. Buijs’s men have managed just two wins from 11 away games in the league since mid-September and we see them struggling against a Volendam side who have proven tough to crack at home of late.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.