Two sides with contrasting ambitions square off at Yanmar Stadion on Saturday as bottom-placed Almere City host Conference League hopefuls PEC Zwolle in round 28 of the Eredivisie.
The hosts are fighting to keep their slim survival hopes alive, while the visitors will be eyeing maximum points to strengthen their push for a playoff spot.
Match preview
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After navigating their debut Eredivisie campaign with relative ease in 2023-24, Almere's second season has been anything but smooth, with relegation fears looming large.
With seven games left, the Black Sheep remain rooted to the foot of the standings with 18 points from 27 matches, trailing safety by 10 points, though they will hope to build momentum on their latest success to spark a late resurgence.
Jeroen Rijsdijk's men claimed a 2-0 win at Willem II in their last outing, but one major concern remains their inability to string back-to-back victories together, with all four of their triumphs this season coming after lengthy droughts.
While two of those successes came at Yanmar Stadion, Almere are winless in their last four outings at the ground and hold the worst home record in the division, with just eight points from 13 matches.
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Zwolle, on the other hand, will be looking to arrest their struggles on the road, having failed to win any of their last three away league games and managing just one victory in 13 such outings this season.
However, history favours the Bluefingers in this fixture, as they have emerged victorious in six of their eight visits to Almere and have avoided defeat in the other two.
Johnny Jansen's side reignited their European aspirations last weekend, halting a six-game winless streak with a 2-0 triumph over RKC Waalwijk.
The victory lifted Zwolle to 14th in the standings with 29 points from seven wins, eight draws and 12 losses, placing them just three points adrift of eighth-placed Groningen in the race for a Conference League playoff spot.
Team News
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Alex Carbonell remains sidelined through injury, while Hamdi Akujobi is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards, paving the way for Damil Dankerlui to step in.
Meanwhile, Marvin Martins will also be pushing for a starting role in defence after coming off the bench to find the net last time out.
Charles-Andreas Brym, Junior Kadile and Kornelius Hansen have been Almere's main attacking threats, contributing seven of the club's 18 league goals this season.
For Zwolle, long-term absentee Tristan Gooijer is still recovering from the knee injury sustained on the opening day against Utrecht.
With no fresh concerns, Jansen is expected to stick with the side that secured victory over Waalwijk, though Younes Namli, Nick Fichtinger and Davy van den Berg will be vying for spots in the starting lineup.
Dylan Vente is set to spearhead the attack once again, with the club's top scorer keen to build on his 12-goal tally this season.
Almere City possible starting lineup:
Bakker; Zagaritis, Lawrence, Visus, Dankerlui; Haye, Tahiri; Kadile, Robinet, Hansen; Brym
PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:
Schendelaar; Aertssen, Graves, MacNulty, Floranus; Thomas, Azzouzi, Mbayo, Monteiro, Krastev; Vente
We say: Almere City 0-2 PEC Zwolle
Both sides will look to build on their recent victories, but Zwolle seem better positioned to take the spoils, given their strong record at Almere.
With 32 goals to their name this season, the visitors carry a greater attacking threat, which could prove decisive against an Almere side that has struggled in front of goal with just 18 strikes while conceding 50.
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Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
