The Eredivisie returns with a fresh set of fixtures as Fortuna Sittard and Willem II go head to head in a thrilling relegation six-pointer at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion on Sunday.
The Fortunezen are currently bottom but one in the league standings, three points and two places adrift of the Tricolores Superkruiken just outside the relegation zone.
Match preview
Fortuna Sittard failed to return to winning ways and push clear of the relegation zone last Sunday as they fell to a slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of PEC Zwolle.
Vitesse loanee Oussama Darfalou came up trumps for the Blauwvingers as he broke the deadlock in the 77th minute and it was enough to hand the hosts a second consecutive defeat.
This followed a 2-1 defeat against Cambuur at the Cambuur-Stadion on February 26, which saw their brief two-game winning streak come to an end.
Sjors Ultee's men have now won five, drawn four and lost 15 of their 24 games so far to collect 19 points and sit 17th in the Eredivisie table, two points off Sunday's visitors just outside the relegation zone.
Willem II, on the other hand, snapped their run of three consecutive defeats last time out when they held Heerenveen to a goalless draw at the Koning Willem II Stadion.
In a game where clear-cut chances were at a premium, both sides were guilty of being toothless at the attacking end of the pitch before settling for a share of the spoils.
Fred Grim's side head into Sunday's game winless in any of their last four games, losing three and claiming one draw, while managing just four points from their last 45 available.
After a promising start to the season, where they picked up five wins and one draw from their opening seven games, this horror run means Willem II are now in danger of dropping into the second tier.
However, they will fancy their chances of coming away with their first away win since September's 2-1 win at Waalwijk as they face an opposing side who they are unbeaten against in seven of the last eight meetings between the sides since 2013, claiming four wins and three draws in that time.
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Team News
Arianit Ferati remains the only concern on the injury front for Fortuna Sittard after the German forward picked up a muscle problem against Waalwijk on January 23.
With 10 goal involvements to his name this season, Mats Seuntjens will be one to watch out for as we expect the 29-year-old to spearhead the attack once again.
Meanwhile, Willem II will take to the pitch without the services of Spanish midfielder Pol Llonch, who is set to miss his fourth consecutive game after coming off injured against Sparta Rotterdam back in February.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Wesley Spieringhs, who has been out of action since sustaining a severe injury in September's 4-1 friendly with Belgian side Mechelen.
Having failed to find the back of the next in each of their last four games, Grim could ring a few changes in attack, with Che Nunnely returning to the XI after starting from the substitutes' bench against Heerenveen last time out.
Fortuna Sittard possible starting lineup:
Osch; Samaris, Siovas, Angha; Tirpan, Rienstra, Flemming, Duarte, Cox; Benschop, Seuntjens
Willem II possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Kohn, Heerkens, Dammers, Owusu; Crowley, Saddiki, Meerveld; Svensson, Nunnely, Hornkamp
We say: Fortuna Sittard 1-1 Willem II
Given their respective form and looking at the stakes of the game, we expect a cagey and low-scoring affair on Sunday. With that said, we predict they will both take a cautious approach to the game and hold out for a share of the spoils.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
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 Fortuna Sittard win with a probability of 49.29%. A draw had a probability of 25.9% and a win for Willem II had a probability of 24.77%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fortuna Sittard win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.44%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.38%) and 2-1 (9.26%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.28%), while for a Willem II win it was 0-1 (8.15%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Fortuna Sittard in this match.
